title: The inside track: privileged neural communication through axon-carrying dendrites.
abstract: Whether morphology tailors functional properties of pyramidal neurons is not completely understood. In this issue of Neuron, Thome et al. (2014) show that, in hippocampal pyramidal neurons, axons frequently originate from basal dendrites rather than the soma, constituting a "privileged" channel for synaptic inputs located in these axon-carrying dendrites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. Electronic address: pwk2108@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaifosh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. Electronic address: al2856@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Losonczy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*