bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.04.15.040410

Computational synthesis of cortical dendritic morphologies

Kanari, L.·Dictus, H. T.·Chalimourda, A.·Van Geit, W.·Coste, B.·Shillcock, J. C.·Hess, K.·Markram, H.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Neuronal morphologies provide the foundation for the electrical behavior of neurons, the connectomes they form, and the dynamical properties of the brain. Comprehensive neuron models are essential for defining cell types, discerning their functional roles and investigating structural alterations associated with diseased brain states. Recently, we introduced a topological descriptor that reliably categorizes dendritic morphologies. We apply this descriptor to digitally synthesize dendrites to address the challenge of insufficient biological reconstructions. The synthesized cortical dendrites are statistically indistinguishable from the corresponding reconstructed dendrites in terms of morpho-electrical properties and connectivity. This topology-guided synthesis enables the rapid digital reconstruction of entire brain regions from relatively few reference cells, thereby allowing the investigation of links between neuronal morphologies and brain function across different spatio-temporal scales. We synthesized cortical networks based on structural alterations of dendrites associated with medical conditions and revealed principles linking branching properties to the structure of large-scale networks. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=198 SRC="FIGDIR/small/040410v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (80K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1ae790org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@58c3eborg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a6a9b1org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ceae91_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG Graphical abstractA topological model of neuronal shapes is used to investigate the link between the branching patterns of dendritic morphologies and the connectivity of the neuronal networks they form. Starting from reconstructed cells (in black) of cortical dendrites, we extract the topological barcode that is used to create a statistically similar synthesized pyramidal cell (in red), and respectively a group of pyramidal cells of the same morphological type. From reconstructed cells examples of all layers and morphological types we generate synthesized dendrites and build a synthesized cortical column (colors corresponds to cortical layers). The synthesized dedrites are statistically similar to the reconstructed dendrites in terms of morpho-electrical properties and the connectome of the synthesized column (colored connectome) is almost indistinguishable from the connectome of the reconstructed column (greyscale). C_FIG

Source connections

Explore related subjects

neurosciencePreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Kanari, L., Dictus, H. T., Chalimourda, A., Van Geit, W., Coste, B., Shillcock, J. C., Hess, K., Markram, H.. 2020-04-17. Computational synthesis of cortical dendritic morphologies. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.15.040410

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Novel Tau Interaction Partners as Potential Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Alzheimers disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder leading to cognitive decline and ultimately death. One of the main hallmarks of this disease is the accumulation of pathological tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles. To better understand these pathological mechanisms, it is essential to characterize the tau protein interactome in health and disease. In this study, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screening using a human brain cDNA library, from which we identified 15 novel tau-interacting proteins that bind to full-length human tau, or its fragments: the N-terminus, microtubule-binding domain, or C-terminus. We subsequently validated these novel interactions using in vitro co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization assays with both physiological and pathological tau isoforms. Furthermore, their interactions with the human tau protein were analyzed using surface plasmon resonance. Finally, an in silico interactome analysis of these newly discovered tau-binding partners revealed several additional interactors that can link them to downstream processes critical to neurodegenerative pathways Our findings offer fresh insights into tau biology and highlight novel targets for therapeutic intervention and biomarker development.

neuroscience↗
bioRxiv2026

Early visual cortex is not functionally necessary for temporal attention: A TMS study

Temporal attention enhances the selective processing of information at a specific point in time and improves perception. Previous neuroimaging studies investigating its neural mechanisms have either conflated temporal attention with temporal expectation or provided correlational evidence. Thus, whether early visual cortex is functionally necessary for temporal attention remains unknown. Here, we combined psychophysics with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to examine whether V1/V2 are functionally necessary and play a causal role in temporal attention. Observers performed an orientation-discrimination task in which two consecutive stimuli, T1 and T2, were presented in the periphery, preceded by a precue providing either valid or neutral temporal information. Double-pulse TMS was delivered under four conditions: at T1 (T1-TMS), at T2 (T2-TMS), at both T1 and T2 (both-TMS), or not at all (none-TMS), to assess its effects on temporal attention and the efficacy of the stimulation was verified by pupil size analysis. Behavioral results revealed robust temporal attention benefits on d', reaction time, and the Balanced Integration Score (BIS) across all four TMS conditions, indicating that the benefits of temporal attention were unaffected by occipital TMS. Furthermore, pupil dilation was largest in the both-TMS condition, followed by the T1-TMS and T2-TMS conditions, and smallest in the none-TMS condition, providing physiological verification of the stimulation protocol. Together, these findings reveal the first causal evidence that the early visual cortex is not functionally necessary for endogenous temporal attention.

neuroscience↗
bioRxiv2026

Disentanglement of persistent and dynamic neural substrates of working memory

Competing theories of working memory have alternatively emphasized the importance of persistent and dynamic substrates of this cognitive function. Here, we directly tested these theories by computationally isolating the contributions of persistent and dynamic activity to working memory. We analyzed neuronal population activity recordings in macaques doing match/non-match working memory tasks. We first extracted signatures of persistent and dynamic activity through cue-specific temporal means, temporal principal components, and correlations of activity patterns across task epochs. We then generated synthetic data constrained by these signatures, and decoded cue stimuli from these data, separately from persistent and non-persistent neurons. We found that high decoding performance arose from a nuanced interplay of persistent and dynamic activity. Specifically, we could decode stimuli at empirical or above-chance levels across all tasks only from persistent neurons, but only after constraining correlations of activity patterns across epochs. In this way, we showed distinct roles for persistent and dynamic neuronal activity that help to unify two competing theories of working memory. More broadly, we also advanced computational controlled experiments as a principled framework for adjudicating between competing models of neuronal population activity.

neuroscience↗