Dendritic morphology and signal delay in superior colliculus neurons

Experimental data derived from two classes of superior colliculus neurons*deep layer neurons (DLNs) and super"cial layer neurons (SLNs)*have been used to study the in#uence of dendritic anatomy on synaptic input processing. Anatomical measures of dendrites were "rst determined. Compartmental neuron models (3 of each class) were built to estimate passive membrane parameters and to calculate functional characteristics of synaptic input (attenuation, delay and time window). The two cell classes show distinct di!erences both in morphological and functional characteristics. While the functional parameters derived on SLNs are compatible with time-critical functions, DLNs in contrast show integrator traits.. 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.