Understanding the shape or morphology of neurons and mapping the tree-like branches via which they receive signals from other cells (i.e., dendrites) is a long-standing objective of neuroscience research. Ultimately, this can help to shed light on how information flows through the brain and pin-point differences associated with specific neurological or psychiatric disorders.
The X. William Yang Lab at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute and the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have devised new sophisticated methods to map neuronal dendrites in the mouse brain, which combine large-scale data collection with genetic labeling techniques and computational tools.
Their research approach, outlined in a paper published in Nature Neuroscience, allowed them to create a comprehensive map of two genetic types of neurons in the mouse brain, known as D1-and D2-type striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs).









