Von Economo neuron
Specific class of mammalian cortical neurons / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Von Economo neurons, also called spindle neurons, are a specific class of mammalian cortical neurons characterized by a large spindle-shaped soma (or body) gradually tapering into a single apical axon (the ramification that transmits signals) in one direction, with only a single dendrite (the ramification that receives signals) facing opposite. Other cortical neurons tend to have many dendrites, and the bipolar-shaped morphology of von Economo neurons is unique here.
Von Economo neuron | |
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Details | |
Location | Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and Fronto-insular cortex (FI) |
Shape | Unique spindle-shaped projection neuron |
Function | Global firing rate regulation and regulation of emotional state |
Presynaptic connections | Local input to ACC and FI |
Postsynaptic connections | Frontal and temporal cortex |
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy |
Von Economo neurons are found in two very restricted regions in the brains of hominids (humans and other great apes): the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the fronto-insular cortex (FI) (which each make up the salience network). In 2008, they were also found in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of humans.[1] Von Economo neurons are also found in the brains of a number of cetaceans,[2][3][4] African and Asian elephants,[5] and to a lesser extent in macaque monkeys[6] and raccoons.[7] The appearance of von Economo neurons in distantly related clades suggests that they represent convergent evolution ā specifically, as an adaptation to accommodate the increasing size of these distantly-related animals' brains.
Von Economo neurons were discovered and first described in 1925 by Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist Constantin von Economo (1876ā1931).[8][9]