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Abstract:
Since the days of Ramón y Cajal and Golgi, reconstruction of neuronal morphology has been a central element of neuroscience research. The cell body (soma) and dendrites re- ceive and integrate synaptic input patterns from diverse neuronal ensembles. The axon, in turn, broadcasts the results of this integration process to a variety of neurons within and across brain regions. Morphological differences in the dendritic and axonal shapes are thus closely linked to a neuron’s inputs, outputs, computations, and hence func- tions. Quantification of somatic, dendritic, and/or axonal properties by morphological reconstructions thus represents one of the major approaches to define brain areas and neuronal cell types therein. This chapter addresses some of the technical challenges involved in reconstructing neuronal morphologies and in linking morphology to other properties of the neurons, such as intrinsic physiology and synaptic connectivity. It discusses conceptual challenges involved in using morphological reconstructions for the definition of neuronal cell types, as well as for the identification of neural circuit structure and function.
