Cortical Composition Hierarchy Driven by Spine Proportion Economical Maximization or Wire Volume Minimization.

ABSTRACT: The structure and quantitative composition of the cerebral cortex are interrelated with its computational capacity. Empirical data analyzed here indicate a certain hierarchy in local cortical composition. Specifically, neural wire, i.e., axons and dendrites take each about 1/3 of cortical space, spines and glia/astrocytes occupy each about (1/3)(2), and capillaries around (1/3)(4). Moreover, data analysis across species reveals that these fractions are roughly brain size independent, which suggests that they could be in some sense optimal and thus important for brain function. Is there any principle that sets them in this invariant way? This study first builds a model of local circuit in which neural wire, spines, astrocytes, and capillaries are mutually coupled elements and are treated wi

SUBMITTER: Karbowski J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4593638 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature