Repository logo

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Infoscience

  • English
  • French
Log In
  1. Home
  2. Academic and Research Output
  3. Journal articles
  4. Of mice and men: Dendritic architecture differentiates human from mouse neuronal networks
 
research article

Of mice and men: Dendritic architecture differentiates human from mouse neuronal networks

Kanari, Lida  
•
Shi, Ying  
•
Arnaudon, Alexis  
Show more
July 18, 2025
iScience

The organizational principles that distinguish the human brain from other species have been a long-standing enigma in neuroscience. Focusing on the uniquely evolved human cortical layers 2 and 3, we computationally reconstruct the cortical architecture for mice and humans. Human neurons form highly complex networks demonstrated by their increased number and simplex dimension compared to mice. This is surprising because human pyramidal cells are much sparser. The number and size of neurons cannot account for this increased network complexity, suggesting that another morphological property is a key determinant of network connectivity. The topological comparison of the dendritic structure reveals higher perisomatic density in human pyramidal cells. We quantitatively show that this neuronal structural property directly impacts network complexity, including the formation of a rich subnetwork structure. Therefore, greater dendritic complexity, a defining attribute of human pyramidal cells, may provide the human cortex with enhanced computational capacity and cognitive flexibility.

  • Files
  • Details
  • Metrics
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

10.1016_j.isci.2025.112928.pdf

Type

Main Document

Version

Published version

Access type

openaccess

License Condition

CC BY

Size

7.39 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

e3858e66399f754b4bc761dd8096e535

Logo EPFL, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
  • Contact
  • infoscience@epfl.ch

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on X
  • Follow us on Youtube
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy policyCookie settingsEnd User AgreementGet helpFeedback

Infoscience is a service managed and provided by the Library and IT Services of EPFL. © EPFL, tous droits réservés