Effect of the width of regions with severed microtubules on transport of organelles down the axon

This paper investigates the effects of structural changes in the microtubule system on traffic jam formation in fast axonal transport and on inhibiting transport of organelles down the axon. Understanding this process is important for understanding the underlying reasons for many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimerʹs disease. In particular, the effect of the width of regions with severed microtubules (also called organelle traps) on the amount of organelles delivered to the synapse of the axon is investigated. Three cases with a different degree of microtubule polar mismatching in the microtubule swirl region are investigated. It is demonstrated that in all three cases increasing the width of organelle trap regions significantly decreases the flux of organelles down the axon compared to that in a healthy axon, in which case organelle traps are absent.