Abstract:
The Hippocampome is a new knowledge base of neuron types in the rodent hippocampus
that aims to compile and collate the mass of published information regarding the cellular
constituency of this structure. The foundation of the Hippocampome is a set of morphologically
distinct neuron types, defined by the presence of axons and dendrites within specific
anatomical compartments of the hippocampal formation. Primary aims of the Hippocampome
include the creation of a standard classification scheme for hippocampal neurons
and the establishment of a central repository for knowledge about the properties of these
neurons. The present project attempts to derive the population size estimates for the 18
Hippocampome neuron types with somata in the dentate gyrus, one of the hippocampal formation’s
major constituents. Data from morphological and stereological studies was taken
from the literature and represented as a system of equations constraining the population
sizes of the dentate gyrus neuron types. A simulated annealing algorithm was used to optimize
the system and thereby provide estimates for the population sizes. It is hoped that
this work serve as a pilot for future, larger scale attempts to derive population estimates
for all Hippocampome types.
