Dendrites: bug or feature?
Abstract
The integrative properties of dendrites are determined by a complex mixture of factors, including their morphology, the spatio-temporal patterning of synaptic inputs, the balance of excitation and inhibition, and neuromodulatory influences, all of which interact with the many voltage-gated conductances present in the dendritic membrane. Recent efforts to grapple with this complexity have focused on identifying functional compartments in the dendritic tree, the number and size of which depend on the aspect of dendritic function being considered. We discuss how dendritic compartments and the interactions between them help to enhance the computational power of the neuron and define the rules for the induction of synaptic plasticity.
Integrity signals
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The proximal and distal segments of basal dendrites have different characteristics with respect to integration and synaptic plasticity.
“Moreover, the proximal and distal segments of basal dendrites have different characteristics with respect to integration and synaptic plasticity (Markram et al., 1997; Hausser and Mel, 2003; Gordon et al., 2006; Gelfo et al., 2009; Branco and Häusser, 2011).”
From The influence of phospho-tau on dendritic spines of cortical pyramidal neurons in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (2013) · cites this paper as Hausser and Mel, 2003
Cites
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“dendrites of pyramidal cells remains to be determined, perhaps through the use of voltage-sensitive dyes [73] and highly focal uncaging techniques [74].”
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- Authors
- Häusser, M., & Mel, B.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- University of Southern California (US)
- Corresponding author
- Häusser, Michael
- Mel, Bartlett
- Venue
- Current Opinion in Neurobiology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-06
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 372-383
- ISSN
- 0959-4388 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2091354315
- Cited by
- 392
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 2.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Opinion in Neurobiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Gatsby Charitable Foundation
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- dendrites, dendritic compartments, dendritic integration, synaptic plasticity, dendritic morphology, excitation-inhibition balance, neuromodulation
- MeSH terms
- Action Potentials, Animals, Brain, Dendrites, Humans, Neurons, Synapses
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