Pyramidal Cells of the Hippocampus Make Synaptic Connections 1

Neurons in the brain connect to and communicate with each other at tiny little structures called synapses. However, unlike most other synapses in the brain that are usually made up of small single protruding spines on cells, the spines imaged here are unique in their multi-branched, bushy shapes. The colored points on the spines are labeled proteins critical to the function of these synapses. This image shows the terminal ends of cells that make their connections onto these spines.