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Growth Cone Chemotaxis: Axon Pathfinding by Guidance Gradients

Watch a growing axon's growth cone steer through a 3D field of attractant and repellent guidance molecules, turning in proportion to the fractional concentration difference sensed across its width — the real chemotactic mechanism neurons use to wire the brain.

Neuroscience & Biophysics3DAdvanced60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted

During nervous-system wiring, an axon's growth cone finds its target by literally sniffing out a chemical trail: diffusible guidance molecules form concentration gradients in the extracellular space, and the growth cone's filopodia compare concentration across its own width to decide which way to turn. This simulator renders that mechanism directly — a growth cone advances through a 3D field containing an attractant source (Netrin-1, pulling it inward) and a repellent source (Semaphorin-3A, pushing it away), steering according to the Weber–Fechner fractional-sensing law real growth cones obey, with receptor gain and cytoskeletal noise as adjustable parameters and live readouts of the sensed gradient.

⚙ Under the hood

Steer a growing axon's growth cone through a 3D field of attractant (Netrin-1) and repellent (Semaphorin-3A) guidance molecules, turning by the Weber-Fechner fractional-sensing law real growth cones obey.

neuroscienceaxon guidancechemotaxisgrowth conedevelopmental biology

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install