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Abstract:
I consider a topographic projection between two neuronal
layers with different densities of neurons. Given the number of
output neurons connected to each input neuron (divergence or
fan-out) and the number of input neurons synapsing on each output
neuron (convergence or fan-in) I determine the widths of axonal and
dendritic arbors which minimize the total volume of axons and
dendrites. My analytical results can be summarized qualitatively in
the following rule: neurons of the sparser layer should have arbors
wider than those of the denser layer. This agrees with the
anatomical data from retinal and cerebellar neurons whose
morphology and connectivity are known. The rule may be used to
infer connectivity of neurons from their morphology.
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