Classification of neurons by dendritic branching pattern. A categorisation based on Golgi impregnation of spinal and cranial somatic and visceral afferent and efferent cells in the adult human.

Neurons from adult human brainstem and spinal cord, fixed by immersion in formalin, were impregnated by a Golgi method and examined in sections 100 micron thick. Objective numerical criteria were used to classify completely impregnated neurons. Only the parameters mentioned below were found to be valid. Neurons in 100 micron sections were classified on the basis of (i) the primary dendrite number, indicated by a Roman numeral and called group; (ii) the dendritic branching pattern, comprising the highest branching order seen, indicated by an Arabic numeral and called category; the lowest dendritic branching order observed in complete neurons, indicated by an upper case letter and called class; and the number of branching orders seen between the two preceding, indicated by a lower case letter and called subclass. On the basis of the above characteristics, all neurons seen in the grey matter of the spinal cord and cranial nerve nuclei could be classified into thirteen 'families'. The results of other investigations (Abdel-Maguid & Bowsher, 1979, 1984) showed that this classification has functional value.