Figure 2
From: Modeling of Neuronal Growth In Vitro: Comparison of Simulation Tools NETMORPH and CX3D
(a) shows one pyramidal neuron (simulation in CX3D) and its soma (S), axon (AX), basal dendrite (BD), and apical dendrite (AD). In order to show synapse formation, axon of a proximal neuron is also shown. The synapses (SYN) are marked with red circles on the figure. The right side of the panel shows computation of the elongation rate 
, centrifugal order for four terminal tips (
, where 
), and the new growth direction (
) from the direction of ten preceding segments. (b) illustrates the influence of elongation rate on the synapse formation. For smaller elongation rates, for example, 2 μ m/day, the maximal space covered by dendrites (or axons) at the end of a simulation is small and neurons cannot reach each other easily. For the larger values, for example, 20 μ m/day, every neuron can cover a substantial part of the dish and other neurons. For the large values, for example, 45 μ m/day, the dendrites extend beyond the dish space and are able to reach every one of 100 neurons. (c) illustrates all possible connectivity patterns between three neurons. These patterns are called motifs, and their frequency in a network represents the structural properties of that network.