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Masoli S, Sanchez-Ponce D, Vrieler N, Abu-Haya K, Lerner V, Shahar T, Nedelescu H, Rizza MF, Benavides-Piccione R, DeFelipe J, Yarom Y, Munoz A, D'Angelo E. Human Purkinje cells outperform mouse Purkinje cells in dendritic complexity and computational capacity. Commun Biol 2024; 7:5. [PMID: 38168772 PMCID: PMC10761885 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05689-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Purkinje cells in the cerebellum are among the largest neurons in the brain and have been extensively investigated in rodents. However, their morphological and physiological properties remain poorly understood in humans. In this study, we utilized high-resolution morphological reconstructions and unique electrophysiological recordings of human Purkinje cells ex vivo to generate computational models and estimate computational capacity. An inter-species comparison showed that human Purkinje cell had similar fractal structures but were larger than those of mouse Purkinje cells. Consequently, given a similar spine density (2/μm), human Purkinje cell hosted approximately 7.5 times more dendritic spines than those of mice. Moreover, human Purkinje cells had a higher dendritic complexity than mouse Purkinje cells and usually emitted 2-3 main dendritic trunks instead of one. Intrinsic electro-responsiveness was similar between the two species, but model simulations revealed that the dendrites could process ~6.5 times (n = 51 vs. n = 8) more input patterns in human Purkinje cells than in mouse Purkinje cells. Thus, while human Purkinje cells maintained spike discharge properties similar to those of rodents during evolution, they developed more complex dendrites, enhancing computational capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Masoli
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Diana Sanchez-Ponce
- Centro de Tecnología Biomédica (CTB), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nora Vrieler
- Feinberg school of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and ELSC, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Karin Abu-Haya
- Department of Neurobiology and ELSC, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Vitaly Lerner
- Department of Neurobiology and ELSC, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Center of Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Tal Shahar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | | | - Ruth Benavides-Piccione
- Centro de Tecnología Biomédica (CTB), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Cajal (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier DeFelipe
- Centro de Tecnología Biomédica (CTB), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Cajal (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Yosef Yarom
- Department of Neurobiology and ELSC, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Alberto Munoz
- Centro de Tecnología Biomédica (CTB), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Egidio D'Angelo
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
- Digital Neuroscience Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
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