Cellular component

dendrite filopodium

A small, membranous protrusion found primarily on dendritic stretches of developing neurons. May receive synaptic input, and can develop into dendritic spines.

Dendritic filopodia are generally less-well studied than dendritic spines because their transient nature makes them difficult to detect with traditional microscopy techniques, and because they are sometimes destroyed by sample preparation. Note that filopodia on dendritic shafts are distinct from other types of filopodia (even those found in dendritic growth cones) and may react differently to stimuli, as shown in PMID:12904473.