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Many dendrites convey stimulation passively, without action potentials and without activation of voltage-gated ion channels. In such dendrites the voltage change that results from stimulation at a synapse may extend both towards and away from the soma. In other dendrites, voltage-gated channels help propagate excitatory synaptic stimulation whether or not an action potential is present. This propagation is efficient only toward the soma due to an uneven distribution of channels along such dendrites.
The structure and branching of a neuron's dendrites strongly influences how it integrates the input from many others, particularly those that input only weakly (more at synapse). This integration is in aspects "temporal" -- involving the summation of stimuli that arrive in rapid succession -- as well as "spatial" -- entailing the aggregation of excitatory and inhibitory inputs from separate branches or "arbors."
Compare: axon
See also: dendritic spine
In chemistry, a dendrite is a crystal that branches into two parts during growth.