Cortex: Statistics and Geometry of Neuronal Connectivity

By means of quantitative analysis of the tissue components in the cortex of a mouse, this is an overall picture of the corticol network which is then related to various theories of corticol function. It is centered around the idea of a diffuse network in a fairly homogenous population of excitatory neurons, that of the pyramidal cells. It shows that the whole organization in the corticol skeleton of pyramidal cells corresponds well to the idea of an associative memory and to the theory of cell assemblies. The theoretical points are made on the basis of experimental results.

Table of Contents:
1 Introduction; 2 Where is the Cortex?; 3 Analysis of the Neuropil; 4 Density of Neurons; 5 Density of Synapses; 6 Comparison Between Synaptic and Neuronal Density; 7 Density of Axons; 8 Comparison Between the Densities of Neurons, Synapses and Axons; 9 Microscopic Evidence of the Spacing of Synapses on Axons; 10 Statistics of the Synapses Along the Axons; 11 Density of Dendrites; 12 Different Kinds of Synapses; 13 Interim Discussion; 14 Morphology of Neurons: Golgi Pictures; 15 Classification of Cortical Neurons; 16 Quantitative Aspects of the Three Types of Neurons. Methods; 17 Length of the Axonal Ramification of Individual Neurons; 18 Length of the Dendritic Trees; 19 Relative Density of Axons and Dendrites; 20 The Likelihood of a Synapse Between Two Pyramidal Cells; 21 Peters'Rule and Whites Exceptions; 22 Dendritic Spines; 23 Synapses on Spineless Dendrites; 24 In Search of Engrams; 25 Postnatal Changes, Possibly Due to Learning, in the Guinea Pig Cortex; 26 Cortico-Cortical Connections; 27 Cortical Architectonics; 28 Layers; 29 Cyto- and myeloarchitectonics: Two aspects of the same reality; 30 Special Areas; 31 Map of the Cortex; 32 How Cortex-Like Is the Hippocampus?; 33 Summary of Statistical Anatomy and Conclusions Thereof; 34 Comparative Aspects: Statistical Measures in Larger Brains; 35 Global Activity, Cell Assemblies and Synfire Chains; 36 Feature Detectors and Orientation Columns; 37 Human language: the ultimate challenge for a theory of the cortex. An Essay; References; Subject Index

Review :
From the reviews of the first edition: "Textbooks of anatomy are usually extremely boring. Anatomy of the Cortex is fascinating!" Network (JOP) "Braitenberg and Schuz have produced a masterpiece on the neurobiological foundations of cognitive psychology." Contemporary Psychology