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SUMMARY:Towards a molecular psychophysics of decision making in neuro-deve
 lopment and repair - Dr Aldo Faisal\, Department of Bioengineering\, Imper
 ial College London
DTSTART:20150218T140000Z
DTEND:20150218T150000Z
UID:TALK55850@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:38916
DESCRIPTION:During development axons have to find their correct targets in
  order to ensure the accurate wiring and function of the peripheral nervou
 s system. Despite depending upon this precision\, variability during the p
 rocess can be observed experimentally. The path-finding mechanism of axons
  requires\ncoordination between specific combinations of cues and their re
 ceptors that they use to navigate. Although numerous guidance cues have be
 en analyzed\, the exact interactions and mechanisms behind growth cone mov
 ement and its variability remain unclear. We have created a stochastic mod
 el of human growth\ncone navigation that simulates the cellular processes 
 guiding growth cone turning in response to guidance cues and that also cap
 tures its variability. In the model each filopodium is represented as a me
 mbrane\nprotrusion of the cytoskeleton studded with receptors and simulate
 d by a stochastic linear kinetic reaction that grows or shrinks the filopo
 dium in response to the relative signal strength of each receptor. We mode
 l stoichiometry of each receptor and assume it only influences the growth 
 of the closest filopodium. Our growth cone model reproduces the unequal pa
 rtition\nratios caused by the stochastic nature of the mechanism and can t
 herefore be used to analyze variability in axon growth. We validate the pa
 rameters with experimental data obtained from cortical and spinal commissu
 ral neurons in\nmice and rats cultivated on controlled nano-dot gradients 
 of signaling cues\, which allows for a quantitative analysis as compared t
 o the usual gradients with diffusive cues. This is joint work with my grad
  student Marta Garnelo and our experimental McGill colleagues Seb Ricoult\
 , David Juncker and Tim Kennedy.
LOCATION:MR4\, Centre for Mathematical Sciences\, Wilberforce Road\, Cambr
 idge
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