3D reconstructions of human hippocampal pyramidal cells and spiny striatum cells (v1)

Pyramidal neurons are the most common cell type and are considered the main output neuron in most mammalian forebrain structures. In terms of function, differences in the structure of the dendrites of these neurons appear to be crucial in determining how neurons integrate information. To further shed light on the structure of the human pyramidal neurons, in the present project we investigated the geometry of pyramidal cells in different regions of the human hippocampal formation (CA1 field distal, CA2 field, CA3 field, and subiculum) and spiny cells of the striatum. Over 100 intracellularly injected cells were 3D-reconstructed cells from 3D confocal stack of images, using Neurolucida software. Quantitative information about several relevant features of neurons, such as the extension and branching patterns of their dendritic trees and local axonal arbors were analyzed. 3D reconstructions of human cells, and the corresponding morphological features extracted, will be useful for modeling and integration of anatomical data with functional studies in different brain regions such as the hippocampus and striatum.