Estimating neuron dendritic length in 3D from total vertical projections and from vertical slices |
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| Authors: | C Vyvyan Howard Luis M Cruz-Orive Hiroshi Yaegashi |
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| Institution: | Quantitative 3D Microscopy Group, Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Liverpool, P.O.Box 147, GB-Liverpool L69 3BX;stereology Unit, Department of Anatomy, University of Berne, Switzerland. |
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| Abstract: | The recently developed method of total vertical projections is illustrated to estimate the total dendritic length of a human Substantia Nigra neuron. Next, the length of the different orders of dendritic branches, and the mean segment length for each order - commonly regarded as important parameters in neuron physiology - are also estimated. Finally, it is shown how to estimate the mean dendritic length in a population of neurons from vertical slices of arbitrary and unknown thickness. Being unbiased and highly efficient, the proposed methods offer interesting alternatives to current procedures used for the metric analysis of neuron arborizations. |
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| Keywords: | Confocal microscopy curve length cycloid test system dendrite metric analysis neuron stereology total vertical projection vertical slice |
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