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Abstract
Competing models have been proposed to explain how neurons integrate the thousands
of inputs distributed throughout their dendritic trees. In a simple global integration
model, inputs from all locations sum in the axon. In a two-stage integration model,
inputs contribute directly to dendritic spikes, and outputs from multiple branches
sum in the axon. These two models yield opposite predictions of how synapses at different
dendritic locations should be scaled if they are to contribute equally to neuronal
output. We used serial-section electron microscopy to reconstruct individual apical
oblique dendritic branches of CA1 pyramidal neurons and observe a synapse distribution
consistent with the two-stage integration model. Computational modeling suggests that
the observed synapse distribution enhances the contribution of each dendritic branch
to neuronal output.