Weighing the Evidence in Peters’ Rule: Does Neuronal Morphology Predict Connectivity?

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• 作者：Christopher L. Rees¹ ; Keivan Moradi¹ ; Giorgio A. Ascoli¹ ; ^{ascoli@gmu.edu}
• 刊名：Trends in Neurosciences
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：40
• 期：2
• 页码：63-71
• 全文大小：1442 K
• 卷排序：40

文摘

Although the importance of network connectivity is increasingly recognized, identifying synapses remains challenging relative to the routine characterization of neuronal morphology. Thus, researchers frequently employ axon–dendrite colocations as proxies of potential connections. This putative equivalence, commonly referred to as Peters’ rule, has been recently studied at multiple levels and scales, fueling passionate debates regarding its validity. Our critical literature review identifies three conceptually distinct but often confused applications: inferring neuron type circuitry, predicting synaptic contacts among individual cells, and estimating synapse numbers within neuron pairs. Paradoxically, at the originally proposed cell-type level, Peters’ rule remains largely untested. Leveraging Hippocampome.org, we validate and refine the relationship between axonal–dendritic colocations and synaptic circuits, clarifying the interpretation of existing and forthcoming data.