Remarkably, the size of neurons' dendritic trees in the hippocampus expands and contracts like an accordion throughout a female rat's ovulatory cycle, with the size {and her cognitive skills} peaking when estrogen peaks.fn6 Thus, neurons can form new dendritic branches and spines, increasing the size of their dendritic tree or, in other circumstances, do the opposite; hormones frequently mediate these effects.
( Robert M. Sapolsky )
[ Behave: The Biology of Humans ]
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