title: Neuronize: a tool for building realistic neuronal cell morphologies.
abstract: This study presents a tool, Neuronize, for building realistic three-dimensional models of neuronal cells from the morphological information extracted through computer-aided tracing applications. Neuronize consists of a set of methods designed to build 3D neural meshes that approximate the cell membrane at different resolution levels, allowing a balance to be reached between the complexity and the quality of the final model. The main contribution of the present study is the proposal of a novel approach to build a realistic and accurate 3D shape of the soma from the incomplete information stored in the digitally traced neuron, which usually consists of a 2D cell body contour. This technique is based on the deformation of an initial shape driven by the position and thickness of the first order dendrites. The addition of a set of spines along the dendrites completes the model, building a final 3D neuronal cell suitable for its visualization in a wide range of 3D environments.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mata
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bayona
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pastor
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Defelipe
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benavides-Piccione
keywords: 3D models; dendritic structure; morphology simulation; multiresolution visualization approach; pyramidal cells; virtual dendrites