Monte-Carlo Study of Axonal Transport in a Neuron*

A living cell has an infrastructure much like that of a city. A key component is the transportation system that consists of roads (filaments) and molecular motors (proteins) that haul cargo along these roads. We will present a Monte Carlo simulation of intracellular transport inside an axon in which motor proteins carry cargos along microtubules and are able to switch from one microtubule to another. The breakdown of intracellular transport in neurons has been associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Lou Gehig's disease (ALS), and Huntingdon's disease.