Quantifying Dendritic Arbors In Vitro and In Vivo in Rodent Models

Dendritic arborization is a critical determinant of neuronal connectivity. The structure of a neuron's dendritic arbor determines the number of synaptic inputs a neuron can receive and how it processes synaptic input from other neurons. Here, we describe methods for visualizing and quantifying the dendritic arbor in primary cell cultures and in the intact rodent brain. These techniques can be used to answer significant scientific questions, such as the effects of disease processes, drugs, growth factors, and diverse environmental stressors on dendritogenesis in both in vitro and in vivo rodent models.