Shoshana Leffler Blog - Cerebellum Math Model

1. A math model can help understand cerebellum development and childhood brain cancer

-->Shoshana Leffler Cerebellum model can determine the size of the granule cell clone: see paper. It is amazing how a math model can predict things quickly that would take many hours in lab!

-->Shoshana Leffler Cerebellum model can also predict disease states for brain tumors. With a simple tweak of parameters described in this paper it can predict data that would take weeks to months to determine otherwise.

2. Math models are like magic

When I first changed the proliferation parameter in the cerebellum model and found a sudden growth in the cerebellum tissue layer, I gasped. A simple equation can accurately predict what something looks like in real life! It was like magic.

Has a math model been useful to you? Describe in the contact section. I look forward to hearing your ideas!

Image Gallery - Cerebellum Math Model

Biological problem (cerebellum development and applications to childhood cancer) Why is cerebellum development a problem a math can help solve?

Despite the wealth of biological data, it is still not clear how to predict cerebellum growth from the underlying neural cell behaviors. Mathematical models have the potential to make quantitative predictions of how changes in cell behaviors affect tissue growth.

Cerebellum math model

What kind of math model do you build for the cerebellum?

The best model is one that captures the biology most accurately. As was originally stated by Einstein, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." Since, the cells in the cerebellum are constantly moving to capture their dynamics, we used a differential equation based model based on the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of granule cells.