ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the degree to which neurones in different areas of the primate cerebral cortex vary with regard to the extent and complexity of their dendritic ensembles. We focus here on pyramidal neurones because they are the principal component of neocortical circuitry. Moreover, we limit our discussion to the basal dendrite ensembles of pyramidal cells, and thus follow the precedent set in most quantitative studies of cortical neurones (Schlaug et al., 1993). Since the horizontal components of the pyramidal cell ensemble, and notably the basal dendrites, provide the main receptive surface for axons of intracortical origin (Globus and Scheibel, 1967a,b,c), there is a robust anatomical basis for this choice. In addition, the enormous morphological variation of the stellate and nonpyramidal cell contingents has always made these fascinating elements more problematic for quantitative evaluation (see Prinz et al., 1997; Seldon, 1982).
