The full reconstruction of neurons allowed Sholl analyses of dendritic branching (a branch is defined by the point at which one dendrite leaves another) and spine distribution (number of spines in a particular area of the dendritic tree) which means that Sholl rings are used as repeated measures on a single neuron (Sholl, 1953). A Sholl ring is the area between two concentric circles centered on the cell body. The circles are put at 50 μm intervals and Sholl rings are referred to by the distance of the outer circle; thus, a Sholl ring at 150 μm is the area defined by concentric circles drawn 100 and 150 μm from the center of the cell body.
