biology

Oblique dendrite

Oblique dendrite is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Oblique dendrite rather than just read about it. In short: An oblique dendrite is a dendrite that branches from an apical dendrite that emerges from the apex of a pyramidal cell. Oblique dendrites typically branch one to two times before terminating.

Key takeaways

Oblique dendrite belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Oblique dendrite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Oblique dendrite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An oblique dendrite is a dendrite that branches from an apical dendrite that emerges from the apex of a pyramidal cell. Oblique dendrites typically branch one to two times before terminating. Dendrites are extensions of the cell body of a neuron.

Growth and development The growth and development of oblique dendrites in rats has been linked to the type of environment, or condition, they are placed in. This is also known as environmental enrichment. The three types of conditions used in studies are an enriched conditioned, standard condition, and impoverished condition. The enriched condition contains mazes, an exercise wheel, other rats, and toys. The standard condition generally has a wheel for voluntary exercise and other rats. The impoverished condition only contains fellow rats. Animals placed in an enriched environment had heavier, thicker cortexes and an increase in the number of dendritic branches (including oblique dendrites) in the hippocampus than the standard or impoverished condition. This phenomenon is known as neuroplasticity. Furthermore, the enriched condition may show in increase in monoamine neurotransmitter release such as serotonin and noradrenaline which have been linked to synaptic plasticity and learning. This is important because an increase in oblique dendrites and dendritic branching allows for increased neurotransmitter uptake. Environmental enrichment is crucial in early brain development due to increase formation of synapses, or synaptogenesis. This results in an increase in oblique dendrites and dendritic branching.

Effects on oblique dendrites from Alzheimer’s disease The beta amyloid peptide, which may lead to the formation of amyloid plaques, has been linked to Alzheimer's disease. The peptide has been shown to block A-type voltage-gated potassium channel in pyramidal cell dendrites; the thin branches of the oblique dendrites are especially susceptible to disruption from the beta amyloid blockage of the A-type potassium channels which may lead to decline in cognitive function in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

See also Alzheimer's disease Neuroplasticity Neurobiology Neuropathology Neurophysiology

References

Dailey ME and Smith SJ, The Dynamics of Dendritic Structure in Developing Hippocampal Slices. J Neurosci 16(9), 1996 pp. 2983-2994. Watson, Neil V., and S. Marc. Breedlove, "The Mind's Machine: Foundations of Brain and Behavior". Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 2012. N. pag. Print. van Praag, Henriette, Gerd Kempermann, and Fred H. Gage. "Neural consequences of environmental enrichment." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 1.3 (2000): 191-198. Morse, Thomas M., Nicholas T. Carnevale, Pradeep G. Mutalik, Michele Migliore, and Gordon M. Shepherd. "Abnormal excitability of oblique dendrites implicated in early Alzheimer's: a computational study." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 31 May 2010.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Oblique dendrite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Oblique dendrite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Oblique dendrite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Oblique dendrite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Oblique dendrite

In research: Oblique dendrite appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Oblique dendrite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Oblique dendrite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Neurohistology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Oblique dendrite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Oblique dendrite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Oblique dendrite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Oblique dendrite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Oblique dendrite in simple terms?

An oblique dendrite is a dendrite that branches from an apical dendrite that emerges from the apex of a pyramidal cell. Oblique dendrites typically branch one to two times before terminating.

Why does Oblique dendrite matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Oblique dendrite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Oblique dendrite.