Von Economo neuron
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 | |
|---|---|
Cartoon of a normal pyramidal cell (left) compared with a von Economo cell (right) | |
| 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. Von Economo neurons are also found in the brains of a number of cetaceans, African and Asian elephants, and to a lesser extent in macaque monkeys and raccoons. The appearance of von Economo neurons in distantly related clades suggests that they represent convergent evolution – 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 (1876–1931).