A computer-aided method for the quantitative analysis of dendritic arborizations reconstructed from serial sections

We present a methodology for measuring precisely defined morphological parameters on complete dendritic arborizations. Brains are sectioned through anatomical planes which are defined with reference to ventricular landmarks. For each neuron, drawn through the camera lucida, dendritic points are defined and identified by means of a numerical topological codification. The 3-dimensional coordinates of each point are measured on a video computer microscope with reference to a cartesian system of axes which are oriented with reference to the anatomical planes of the brain. The data points from several serial sections are stored section by section and re-ordered by a computer program. Quantitative data concerning the diameters of the dendrites and the number and the dimensions of their spines are also stored. From these data, various quantitative morphological parameters may be computed. The accuracy of the video computer microscope is measured. The different existing computerized systems and the contribution of computerized techniques are discussed.