Table 3.

Summary of relative postmortem decomposition rates of different structural features of cell membranes in the brain.

Feature	Key points of decomposition patterns
Brain region differences	The cerebellum can have faster decomposition than other regions
Cell type differences	Smaller cells may decompose faster than larger cells
Cell volume	Cell volumes changes are rapid and occur within minutes. Ongoing swelling, shrinkage, and compression processes evolve throughout the PMI
Dendrite	Segmental swelling within hours. Highly sensitive to visualization method, and appear to be more stable with more robust methods of visualization
Axon	Segmental swelling and volume changes, similar to dendrites
Synapse	Morphometric changes, including postsynaptic membrane thickening and changes in curvature, occur within minutes. Variability based on visualization method, but their overall presence is relatively stable in the early PMI
Myelin	Lamellar separation without a break in continuity of the separated lamellae. Relatively slow decomposition overall