Computer model of growth cone behavior and neuronal morphogenesis

In the development of the nervous system, neuronal growth cones play an important role in neuronal morphogenesis and synaptogenesis. In this paper, we develop a model for neuronal morphogenesis. We assume that the randomly initiated filopodia exert tension on the main body of a growth cone. The growth cone acts to sum the filopodial tensions. When the forces pulling the growth cone apart overcome certain threshold, the growth cone fails to sum the filopodial tensions and bifurcates. The lateral inhibition of neurite outgrowth and the contact inhibition are also incorporated into the present model. Computer simulation shows that the model can generate proper neuronal morphology and outgrowth of patterned neurites. Comparison of our model with that developed by Van Veen and Van Pelt (1992, J. theor. Biol. 159, 1–23) is also made in this paper.