Von Economo neurons are present in the dorsolateral (dysgranular) prefrontal cortex of humans

Fajardo, C.; Escobar, Martha I.; Buriticá, Efraín; Arteaga, Gabriel; Umbarila, John; Casanova, Manuel F.; Pimienta, Hernán J.

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2008.02.048

Cited by 90 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These large neurons have an elongated, spindle-shaped soma, a single large apical dendrite, and a single large basal dendrite with no branching near the soma. In hominids they are found primarily in layer 5 of area FI and anterior ACC, but smaller numbers are also present in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in humans (Fajardo et al, 2008). Cetaceans have VEN populations in FI and ACC, but mysticetes also have numerous VENs in frontopolar cortex (Hof and Van der Gucht, 2007).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Von Economo Neurons in the Elephant Brain

Hakeem

Sherwood

Bonar

et al. 2008

The Anatomical Record

141

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Von Economo neurons (VENs), previously found in humans, all of the great ape species, and four cetacean species, are also present in African and Indian elephants. The VENs in the elephant are primarily found in similar locations to those in the other species. They are most abundant in the frontoinsular cortex (area FI) and are also present at lower density in the anterior cingulate cortex. Additionally, they are found in a dorsolateral prefrontal area and less abundantly in the region of the frontal pole. The VEN morphology appears to have arisen independently in hominids, cetaceans, and elephants, and may reflect a specialization for the rapid transmission of crucial social information in very large brains. Anat

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Von Economo Neurons in the Elephant Brain

Hakeem

Sherwood

Bonar

et al. 2008

The Anatomical Record

141

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Functional disconnection within regions corresponding to the CO network in schizophrenia has also been reported during task-based fMRI (White et al, 2010; Tu et al, 2010). The CO network is of particular interest, as its two hubs—the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the anterior insula are unique in containing large numbers of von Economo neurons, which are spindle-shaped bipolar projection neurons in layer V of the cortex found only in humans and great apes (Allman et al, 2011a,b; Fajardo et al, 2008). This suggests a more recent evolution of the CO network associated with higher-level cognitive or emotional processing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resting state functional connectivity of five neural networks in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Mamah

Deanna

Repovš

2013

Journal of Affective Disorders

123

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Bipolar disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) share clinical characteristics and genetic contributions. Functional dysconnectivity across various brain networks has been reported to contribute to the pathophysiology of both SCZ and BPD. However, research examining resting-state neural network dysfunction across multiple networks to understand the relationship between these two disorders is lacking. Methods We conducted a resting-state functional connectivity fMRI study of 35 BPD and 25 SCZ patients, and 33 controls. Using previously defined regions-of-interest, we computed the mean connectivity within and between five neural networks: default mode (DM), fronto-parietal (FP), cingulo-opercular (CO), cerebellar (CER), and salience (SAL). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to compare groups, adjusting false discovery rate to control for multiple comparisons. The relationship of connectivity with the SANS/SAPS, vocabulary and matrix reasoning was investigated using hierarchical linear regression analyses. Results Decreased within-network connectivity was only found for the CO network in BPD. Across groups, connectivity was decreased between CO-CER (p < 0.001), to a larger degree in SCZ than in BPD. In SCZ, there was also decreased connectivity in CO-SAL, FP-CO, and FP-CER, while BPD showed decreased CER-SAL connectivity. Disorganization symptoms were predicted by connectivity between CO-CER and CER-SAL. Discussion Our findings indicate dysfunction in the connections between networks involved in cognitive and emotional processing in the pathophysiology of BPD and SCZ. Both similarities and differences in connectivity were observed across disorders. Further studies are required to investigate relationships of neural networks to more diverse clinical and cognitive domains underlying psychiatric disorders.

show abstract

“…Interestingly, a particular population of distinct neurons, the von Economo neurons (VENs), present almost exclusively in the frontoinsular (FI) and anterior cingulate cortices (ACC) have been found to be consistently affected in ASD [4, 104, 256, 258]. Given their distribution in these cortical areas, these neurons have been suggested to subserve circuits involved in social cognition, autonomic regulation, and sense of self [5, 6, 323].…”

Section: Neuropathology Of Asd: Recent Findings From Human Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given their distribution in these cortical areas, these neurons have been suggested to subserve circuits involved in social cognition, autonomic regulation, and sense of self [5, 6, 323]. VENs are large, vertical bipolar neurons found in layer V of the FI and ACC (Figure 3) [256, 258, 366] and, in fewer numbers, in area 9 of the PFC [104]. Their cortical distribution as well as the bipolar shape of their dendritic tree is linked to a possible role in the integration of homeostatic information (processed in the FI) and goal-directed cognitive assessments (processed in the ACC and PFC) in the fast intuitive evaluation of complex social situations [5, 6, 375].…”

Section: Neuropathology Of Asd: Recent Findings From Human Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autism spectrum disorder: neuropathology and animal models

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a major impact on the development and social integration of affected individuals and is the most heritable of psychiatric disorders. An increase in the incidence of ASD cases has prompted a surge in research efforts on the underlying neuropathologic processes. We present an overview of current findings in neuropathology studies of ASD using two investigational approaches, postmortem human brains and ASD animal models, and discuss the overlap, limitations and significance of each. Postmortem examination of ASD brains has revealed global changes including disorganized gray and white matter, increased number of neurons, decreased volume of neuronal soma, and increased neuropil, the last reflecting changes in densities of dendritic spines, cerebral vasculature and glia. Both cortical and non-cortical areas show region-specific abnormalities in neuronal morphology and cytoarchitectural organization, with consistent findings reported from the prefrontal cortex, fusiform gyrus, frontoinsular cortex, cingulate cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, cerebellum and brainstem. The paucity of postmortem human studies linking neuropathology to the underlying etiology has been partly addressed using animal models to explore the impact of genetic and non-genetic factors clinically relevant for the ASD phenotype. Genetically modified models include those based on well-studied monogenic ASD genes (NLGN3, NLGN4, NRXN1, CNTNAP2, SHANK3, MECP2, FMR1, TSC1/2), emerging risk genes (CHD8, SCN2A, SYNGAP1, ARID1B, GRIN2B, DSCAM, TBR1), and copy number variants (15q11-q13 deletion, 15q13.3 microdeletion, 15q11-13 duplication, 16p11.2 deletion and duplication, 22q11.2 deletion). Models of idiopathic ASD include inbred rodent strains that mimic ASD behaviors as well as models developed by environmental interventions such as prenatal exposure to sodium valproate, maternal autoantibodies and maternal immune activation. In addition to replicating some of the neuropathologic features seen in postmortem studies, a common finding in several animal models of ASD is altered density of dendritic spines, with the direction of the change depending on the specific genetic modification, age and brain region. Overall, postmortem neuropathologic studies with larger sample sizes representative of the various ASD risk genes and diverse clinical phenotypes are warranted to clarify putative etiopathogenic pathways further and to promote the emergence of clinically relevant diagnostic and therapeutic tools. In addition, as genetic alterations may render certain individuals more vulnerable to developing the pathological changes at the synapse underlying the behavioral manifestations of ASD, neuropathologic investigation using genetically modified animal models will help to improve our understanding of the disease mechanisms and enhance the development of targeted treatments.

show abstract

Von Economo neurons are present in the dorsolateral (dysgranular) prefrontal cortex of humans

Cited by 90 publications

References 19 publications

Von Economo Neurons in the Elephant Brain

Von Economo Neurons in the Elephant Brain

Resting state functional connectivity of five neural networks in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Autism spectrum disorder: neuropathology and animal models

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About