The relations between neurite development and the subcellular structures of the hippocampal neuron somata have been studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The conformation of the neuron was achieved by the synapse-like structures found by AFM scanning along a neurite of the cell. Hippocampal neuron somata were divided into two or three subcellular parts by one or two horizontal Lyrooves. The upper parts increased while the middle and the lower parts decreased with the number and the length of the neurites and the formation of the neurosynapse-like structures. When neurites sufficiently developed, the middle parts were lost and the lower parts became very small. Mitosis inhibitors could prevent the formation of such subcellular structures of hippocampal neuron somata, which was accompanied by the loss of ability to form synapse-like structures. These results suggest that the upper parts are responsible for neuritogenesis while the middle and the lower parts only have indirect effect on it. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.