Dendritic cells in the germinal center may endocytose such antigenic material and present it to T cells, activating them.

Because dendritic spines are the sites of connection between neighbouring nerve cells, the increased number may mean more activity in the fathers' brains than in those of the non-fathers.

And what they saw is a steady decrease in the size and number of dendritic spines, the tiny branches of the nerve cell that receive messages from nearby cells.