Spiny dendrite

This is my first attempt to reconstruct a segment of dendrite from wood. The process involves first obtaining an image volume of serial section electron microscopy images - in this case a series was obtained from a freely available dataset obtained by the lab of Dr. Kristen Harris at the University of Texas, Austin. The next step involves slicing a single log of wood - in this case pine - into multiple sections such that each corresponds to an image section. I then trace the contour of the structure I want to reconstruct onto the cookie and cut out each shape, glue them all together and sand down the edges. Being my first attempt, this piece is more of a representation than an accurate reconstruction, but the form of the dendritic spines comes through. I stained the wood in a manner to represent the general location of the post-synaptic densities on the surface of the spine heads. This is the piece that got me hooked - I knew I could do better, more accurate reconstructions.