Models
Interactive model of neurofilament transport
This NetLogo agent-based model simulates the movement of neurofilaments along axons, showing how the stochastic and bidirectional movement of individual neurofilaments on short timescales give rise to a slow anterograde movement on long timescales. Over time, a pulse of labeled neurofilaments adopts a bell-shaped wave form which spreads as it propagates along the axon. This wave is an emergent phenomenon that reflects the underlying stochastic nature of the moving and pausing behavior. In the model, the user can alter the kinetic parameters governing the movement of the individual neurofilaments and observe the effects on the population behavior.
Link to the model on NetLogo Modeling Commons
After opening the model in your browser, click the “setup” button to initialize the model, then click the “go” button to run the model. You can toggle the “go” button to pause and resume the model. To alter the model speed, use the “Model Speed” slider at the top of the page. After altering any of the model parameters, you can revert to the default starting values by clicking “reset parameters”. To learn more about the model and how to use it, expand the “Model Info” tab at the bottom of the page.
For a general introduction to working with NetLogo models, please view this tutorial.
Sample model output showing the net anterograde movement of a pulse of 10,000 neurofilaments