Competition in neuronal morphogenesis and the development of nerve connections

Van Ooyen, A., and Van Pelt, J. (2002). In: Ascoli, G., ed. Computational Neuroanatomy: Principles and Methods. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press Inc., pp. 219-244. [Full text: PDF]

Abstract

During the development of the nervous system, neurons form their characteristic morphologies and become assembled into synaptically connected networks. In many of the developmental phases that can be distinguished -- e.g. axonal differentiation, neurite elongation and branching, and synapse rearrangement -- competition plays an important role. Focusing on competition, we review model studies on neuronal morphogenesis and the development of nerve connections.