Complexity

Complexity in Neurolucida Explorer refers to the normalization and comparison of dendrites among fundamentally different neurons.

Complexity = [Sum of the terminal orders + Number of terminals] * [Total dendritic length / Number of primary dendrites]

Terminal: Refers to endings

Terminal order: Number of "sister" branches encountered as you proceed from the terminal to the cell body (calculated for each terminal).

 

Complexity is derived from the Dendritic Complexity Index described in Dendritic Morphology of Hippocampal and Amygdalar Neurons in Adolescent Mice Is Resilient to Genetic Differences in Stress Reactivity (Pillai, de Jong, Kanatsu and al., 2012).