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Signal Integration in the Axon Tree due to Branch Point Filtering Action

  • Conference paper
Cellular Mechanisms of Sensory Processing

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIH,volume 79))

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Abstract

The often extravagant branching of axons into numerous collateral and even more numerous terminal branches is one of the most distinctive morphological features of neurons. It is not surprising then, that the possibility of signal integration in the axon tree, i.e., one or another form of filtering action, which may degrade, enrich or focus the neural signal as it propagates through the axon tree, has been suggested since the early days of analytical neurophysiologies research.1 In fact, evidence for filtering action at branch points of dorsal column fibers and at intramuscular branch points of phrenic motor neuron axons was soon forthcoming.14,15,41 Subsequently however, very little addition information on the nature and frequency of occurrence of branch point filtering action in vertebrate neurons has been obtained, due no doubt in large part to the practical difficulties of monitoring activity in the parent and daughter branches of their small diameter, relatively inaccessible axons. On the other hand, convincing evidence for such action at axon branch points of invertebrate neurons, as well as the development of a thorough mathematical understanding of some of the basic mechanisms accounting for this phenomenon, became available for invertebrate nerve cells.7,8,26,27,45

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Endocrinology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, 30912-3000, USA

    S. David Stoney Jr.

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  1. S. David Stoney Jr.
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  1. Sandoz Institute for Medical Research, 5 Gower Place, London, WC1E 6BN, UK

    Laszlo Urban

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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Stoney, S.D. (1994). Signal Integration in the Axon Tree due to Branch Point Filtering Action. In: Urban, L. (eds) Cellular Mechanisms of Sensory Processing. NATO ASI Series, vol 79. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-78762-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-78762-1_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-78764-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-78762-1

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