Comparison of the Neural Stem Cell Heterogeneity Model for Radiation Research

Abstract

Abstract Differences in the sensitivity of various neural stem cell (NSC) types to radiation may determine the extent of radiation-induced impairments in the hippocampus. Previously, we proposed a model describing the dynamics of heterogeneity of NSCs with varying division rates. In this study, we focused on modeling the morphological heterogeneity of NSCs. We developed a model describing the dynamics of α- and β-NSCs in response to irradiation and compared it with a simplified model of heterogeneous NSC populations with different division rates. The survival rates of NSCs after irradiation with X rays at doses of 0.1 and 2 Gy was calculated using the models. The comparison of the models shows that the division rate heterogeneity model more accurately describes the survival of NSCs after irradiation, while the morphological heterogeneity model better reproduces astrocyte dynamics by taking into account β-NSCs. Further development and integration of different modeling approaches will enable more accurate predictions of cognitive impairments caused by various types of radiation exposure.