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Gmanme
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Does anyone know what areas of the brain have a denser amount of synapse? Are there more connections on the outside area than the inner areas, or is it uniform for the most part?
Gmanme said:Im asking only within the gray matter area.
Gmanme said:Does anyone know what areas of the brain have a denser amount of synapse? Are there more connections on the outside area than the inner areas, or is it uniform for the most part?
apeiron said:You might have to be more specific with what you mean by dense. Or better yet, what is the reason for asking? What do you think density signifies?
For example, the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum have the most synapses per dendritic tree - around 200,000. But these are also long trailing fibres, so probably not dense in the way you mean.
There is also the evidence from infant synaptic pruning and the loss of frontal gray matter with adolescent that a density of neurons/synapses is not some direct measure of how smart some part of the brain might be. A lot of connectivity can just spell naive plasticity, while a well pruned network and sparse connectivity can spell well tuned function.
So what is it that you really want to know here?
Gmanme said:By density I meant number of connections. Say an area on the cerebral cortex is 3 mm thick, my question is weather the outer most .1 mm part has more connections per neuron than the inner most .1 mm part of the thickness.
Sorry for being a bit vague, this isn't really my subject, thanks.
Edit: Found This-> http://www.mrc.uidaho.edu/~rwells/techdocs/Cortical Neurons and Circuits.pdf
Brain synapse density refers to the number of synapses, or connections, between neurons in the brain. These connections are essential for proper brain function and communication between different areas of the brain.
Brain synapse density is measured using techniques such as electron microscopy, which allows for the visualization and counting of synapses in brain tissue. Other methods include using fluorescent markers to label and count synapses.
The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for complex cognitive functions such as decision making and problem solving, has the highest synapse density. Other areas with high synapse density include the hippocampus, which is involved in memory formation, and the cerebellum, which is responsible for motor coordination.
Brain synapse density is highest in early childhood and decreases with age. This is due to a process called synaptic pruning, where unnecessary or weak connections are eliminated to make room for stronger and more efficient connections.
While brain synapse density naturally decreases with age, research has shown that it can be increased through experiences such as learning and physical exercise. These activities stimulate the growth of new synapses and strengthen existing connections, leading to an increase in brain synapse density.