Mapping Dynamic Branch Displacements: A Versatile Method to Quantify Spatiotemporal Neurite Dynamics

Quantification of the movement of axons and dendrites is essential for the study of circuit formation. Several methods have been developed to quantify the movement of neurites in simplified systems; however, these quantification methods are specialized for a limited type of predicted movements in each assay system. The movement of neurites in vivo includes many unexpected rearrangements. Establishment of a method that can detect and quantify a variety of patterning events will reveal novel phenomena in circuit formation and make it possible to conduct deeper investigation of the molecular and cellular bases of these events. Here we present a versatile method that represents a quantitative analysis of the integrated movement of neurites on a spatial map. We show that the method is useful for analyzing several types of neurite behavior, including changes in the directionality of neurite movements, fasciculation of axons, or changes in territories of dendritic fields.