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Science 16 January 1970:
Vol. 167. no. 3916, pp. 292 - 294
DOI: 10.1126/science.167.3916.292
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Articles

Early Experience Effects upon Cortical Dendrites: A Proposed Model for Development

Shawn Schapiro 1 and Katherine R. Vukovich 1

1 Developmental Neuroendocrinology Laboratory, Veterans Administration Hospital, San Fernando, California and Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles 90024

We studied the effects of environmental stimulation on the development of rat cortical pyramidal cell synaptic loci (dendritic spines) and the number of such cells staining by the rapid Golgi technique. Stimulation three to five times a day from the day of birth increased the number of spines per micrometer in 8-day-old animals and increased the number of neurons stanining at 8 to 16 days of age. This effect of afferent input upon development of the dendritic spine may represent the neuroanatomical basis for the influence of early experience on subsequent behavior. The number of neurons staining by the rapid Golgi technique appears to be related to those that are functionally involved at the time of tissue preparation.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)