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Particle-Based Stochastic Simulators

Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience

Definition

A stochastic simulator that tracks the location and interactions of individual molecules of interest. Molecules are represented with minimal internal detail.

Detailed Description

Computational simulations are widely used in neuroscience, as in other branches of biology, to explore the implications of quantitative models. They are used to investigate the sequestration of calcium calmodulin kinase II (CamKII) in dendritic spines, the transmission of action potentials through networks of neurons, and the release of heterogeneous synaptic vesicles, among many other topics. Some simulations are used with abstract “toy models” to identify fundamental biological principles, such as which signaling network topologies can transmit information particularly accurately. Others are tightly integrated with experimental work to build better understandings of particular systems.

Neuroscience simulation methods can be broadly categorized by the level of detail that they represent. At the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Steven S. Andrews

  2. Department of Physics, Seattle University, Seattle, WA, USA

    Steven S. Andrews

Authors
  1. Steven S. Andrews
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Steven S. Andrews .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Dieter Jaeger

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA

    Ranu Jung

Section Editor information

  1. Molecular Neuroscience Department, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Kim T. Blackwell

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Andrews, S.S. (2018). Particle-Based Stochastic Simulators. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_191-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_191-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7320-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7320-6

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Particle-Based Stochastic Simulators
    Published:
    11 May 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_191-2

  2. Original

    Particle-Based Stochastic Simulators
    Published:
    20 March 2014

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_191-1

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