title: Golgi in retrospect: a historiographic examination of contextual influence in tracing the constructs of neuronal organization.
abstract: The concepts underlying the connectivity of neurons and the dynamics of interaction required to explain information processing have undergone significant change over the past century. A re-examination of the evolution of the modern view in historical context reveals that rules for connectivity have changed in a manner that might be expected from critical analysis enabled by technical advance. A retrospective examination of some germane issues that moved Camillo Golgi to question the widely held dogma of his era reveals network principles that could not have been recognized a century ago. The currently evolving rules of cellular discontinuity and interaction have proven sufficiently complex to justify the arguments of critical skepticism that sustain scientific progress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. lkruger@ucla.ed
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kruger
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Otis
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shtrahman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D009445:Neuroanatomy / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods; D009613:Nobel Prize; D016622:Silver Staining / Q000266:history