title: The discovery of dendritic spines by Cajal.
abstract: Dendritic spines were considered an artifact of the Golgi method until a brash Spanish histologist, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, bet his scientific career arguing that they were indeed real, correctly deducing their key role in mediating synaptic connectivity. This article reviews the historical context of the discovery of spines and the reasons behind Cajal's obsession with them, all the way till his deathbed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and Neuroscience, Neurotechnology Center, Columbia University New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yuste
keywords: Cajal; Golgi; cerebellum; cortex; dendritic spines