<p>The <a href="https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s3/chapter05.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">cerebellum is the most densely packed with neurons</a>, but its been difficult to isolate which functional region has the most neurons, and synaptic activity, because functional mapping of the cerebellum is more difficult than that of the cerebral cortex.</p>
<p>First, <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/press-releases/2017/03/20/scientists-find-role-cerebellum/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wagner and Schnitzner (2017)</a> explain</p>
<blockquote>
<p>there had been some hints of a larger role for the cerebellum, but
scientists had a hard time following up on those hints in part because
the neurons that make up most of the cerebellum are difficult to
study. Those neurons, known as granule cells, account for 80 percent
of the neurons in the brain – all packed into the cerebellum – but
only about 10 percent of its volume. At that density, conventional
techniques for recording cell activity don’t work well, and without an
effective way of studying granule cells in real time, scientists were
left with an incomplete picture of what the cerebellum was really
doing.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Related, <a href="https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/489943" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Essen, Donahue, and Glasser (2018)</a> continue to explain that analysis of cells specific to functional regions (in sub-cortical regions, and in cortex) is necessary, especially to take into consideration change over time in evolution, but measurement has been a challenge</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Our analysis of numbers of neurons has so far been restricted to large
brain divisions, such as the entire cerebral cortex and the ensemble
of brainstem, diencephalon and basal ganglia, but an analysis of the
cellular scaling of separate functional cortical areas and the related
subcortical structures is underway. Such data should allow us to
address important issues such as mosaic evolution through concerted
changes in the functionally related components of distributed systems,
and the presumed increase in relative number of neurons in systems
that increase in importance (Barton and Harvey, 2000 ; Barton, 2006 ).</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-11-29T23:46:55.870Z
2021-11-29T23:46:55.870Z
stephan_phd
<p>To clarify, which structural area of the brain is the most dense in neuron synapses or connections?</p>
<p>I couldn't find any reliable link on the internet.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-05T18:56:58.680Z
Do you mean density (synapses/cubic cm) or total number (larger brain areas will likely have more synapses)? And what do you mean with brain area? Functional areas, or structural areas? Telling us why do you want to know this may help the community to place your question in its context, and aid in answering your question.
AliceD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-06T11:26:33.903Z
I meant density. I meant structural areas.
CuriousMind9
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-07T21:12:06.400Z
@CuriousMind9 please edit your question accordingly. Comments on this site are temporary and will be removed once resolved.
Steven Jeuris
<neuroscience><brain>
Which area in the brain has the highest number of synapses?
CuriousMind9
# Which area in the brain has the highest number of synapses?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-04)

To clarify, which structural area of the brain is the most dense in neuron synapses or connections?

I couldn't find any reliable link on the internet.

**Tags:** neuroscience, brain

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Do you mean density (synapses/cubic cm) or total number (larger brain areas will likely have more synapses)? And what do you mean with brain area? Functional areas, or structural areas? Telling us why do you want to know this may help the community to place your question in its context, and aid in answering your question.  
> **username_0**: I meant density. I meant structural areas.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 please edit your question accordingly. Comments on this site are temporary and will be removed once resolved.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-11-29. Score: 1

The [cerebellum is the most densely packed with neurons](https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s3/chapter05.html), but its been difficult to isolate which functional region has the most neurons, and synaptic activity, because functional mapping of the cerebellum is more difficult than that of the cerebral cortex.

First, [Wagner and Schnitzner (2017)](https://news.stanford.edu/press-releases/2017/03/20/scientists-find-role-cerebellum/) explain

> there had been some hints of a larger role for the cerebellum, but
> scientists had a hard time following up on those hints in part because
> the neurons that make up most of the cerebellum are difficult to
> study. Those neurons, known as granule cells, account for 80 percent
> of the neurons in the brain – all packed into the cerebellum – but
> only about 10 percent of its volume. At that density, conventional
> techniques for recording cell activity don’t work well, and without an
> effective way of studying granule cells in real time, scientists were
> left with an incomplete picture of what the cerebellum was really
> doing.

Related, [Essen, Donahue, and Glasser (2018)](https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/489943) continue to explain that analysis of cells specific to functional regions (in sub-cortical regions, and in cortex) is necessary, especially to take into consideration change over time in evolution, but measurement has been a challenge

> Our analysis of numbers of neurons has so far been restricted to large
> brain divisions, such as the entire cerebral cortex and the ensemble
> of brainstem, diencephalon and basal ganglia, but an analysis of the
> cellular scaling of separate functional cortical areas and the related
> subcortical structures is underway. Such data should allow us to
> address important issues such as mosaic evolution through concerted
> changes in the functionally related components of distributed systems,
> and the presumed increase in relative number of neurons in systems
> that increase in importance (Barton and Harvey, 2000 ; Barton, 2006 ).


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