[Nature of the distribution of synapses in the neurons of the reticular formation and some afferent nuclei].

Under study was the morphology of synaptic terminations of the brain reticular formation in cats and dogs as well as that of the afferent nuclei of the cat's posterior columns. The neurons of the Goll's and Burdach's nuclei have a richly ramified dendritic network. In this connection the main mass of synapses is disposed on the dendrites and their different branchings. The dendrites of the multipolar cells of the reticular formation have the main type of branching, but the cells are distributed from the nerve cell body at a considerable distance (up to 50 mu and more). The synapses are observed at the total length of the dendrite, so the axo-dendritic contacts quantitatively prevail over axo-somatic ones. The morphological data are compared with physiological axo-somatic and axo-dendritic concepts of the role of synapses in conducting the nerve impulse.