Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

This brief article reveals a nuance in the structure of dendrites, the tendrils neurons use to connect to each other. "Dendrites in both mouse and human neurons exhibit localized diameter constrictions in the nanoscale range along their shafts... (that)  may allow individual dendrites to process information locally rather than merely relaying it." My first thought is that this could be a means of creating a connection weight function (though no doubt this is a vast oversimplification). Publication: Tony Kelly et al.: Dendritic shaft constrictions shape synaptic integration in neurons.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Oct 06, 2026 01:10 a.m.

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