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MICROTUBULES DETERMINE TOTAL ARBOR & BRANCH SIZE
A major question has been whether microtubules begin at the soma & then terminate at dendritic terminals or are short segments. Reconstruction has been used to look at the question, however, anoxia and calcium entry rapidly depolymerize tubules making this analysis difficult. For certain, dendritic tubule spacing provides a cross sectional component of dendrites. Further tubules do not bifurcate but parcel into respective dendrites. Tubule ends appear to be only at terminals giving each neuron of the same type consistent volumes. Breaking-up of tubules occurs inn delayed fixation.