A quantitative method for morphometric analysis in neuronal cell culture: unbiased estimation of neuron area and number of branch points.

The morphology and fine structure of neurons in vivo as well as in vitro are influenced by a variety of cell-adhesion and extracellular matrix molecules and soluble growth factors. To examine the effects of such molecules, we have developed a new method for the quantitation of several parameters associated with the morphology of neurons in culture. Whereas methods which have been traditionally used to perform quantitative morphometric analysis of neurons in vitro are often time-consuming and subjective, the methods we describe provide a rapid, efficient, and unbiased approach to morphometric analysis of cultured neurons.