Abstract
Neurogenesis has been the subject of active research in recent years. Although the majority of neurons form during the embryonic period, neurogenesis continues in restricted regions of the mammalian brain well into adulthood. In rodent brains, neuronal migration is present in the rostral migratory stream (RMS), connecting the subventricular zone to the olfactory bulb (OB). The migration in the RMS is characterised by a lack of dispersion of neuroblasts into the surrounding tissues and a highly directed motion towards the OB. This study uses a simple mathematical model to investigate several theories of migration of neuroblasts through the RMS proposed in the literature, including chemo-attraction, chemorepulsion, general inhibition and the presence of a migration-inducing protein. Apart from the general inhibition model, all the models were able to provide results in good qualitative correspondence with the experimental observations.
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Acknowledgements
AVS is a Fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). The authors acknowledge support from the Nuffield Foundation through the awards of Undergraduate Research Bursaries URB/39423 and URB/37878 (for R.B. and J.J.M., respectively) and from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement No. 279100 (A.V.S. and L.G.).