Neuroscience
From the CBC:
Humpback whales share brain cells with humans
Last Updated: Monday, November 27, 2006 | 1:12 PM ET
CBC News
Humpback whales have joined an exclusive evolutionary club alongside humans, gorillas and dolphins, thanks to the discovery of a particular type of brain cell in the large aquatic mammals.
The brains of humpback whales contain spindle neurons, a kind of brain cell found in the cerebral cortex in large primates like humans and gorillas, according to a study published online on Monday.
Patrick R. Hof and Estel Van der Gucht of the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York published their findings in The Anatomical Record, the official journal of the American Association of Anatomists.
The authors found humpback whales not only had spindle neurons in the same area of the cortex where they are found in hominids, but also in other parts of their brain.
Named for their long, spindle-shaped bodies, spindle neurons are a complex and not completely understood cellular structure found in the brains of larger primates and cetaceans, the group of marine mammals that includes whales and dolphins.
They are thought to be involved in cognitive processes such as learning, remembering and recognizing, and are affected by conditions like Alzheimer's disease, autism and schizophrenia. In humans, they occur in the part of the brain thought to control speech, social organization and empathy.
[ ... Read the full article ... ]
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Anthony H. Risser | neuroscience | neuropsychology | brain
- Spindle Neurons In Macaques?
Spindle neurons, or Von Economo neurons (VENs), are a unique type of large, bipolar neuron found primarily in layer Vb in the anterior cingulate cortex and the frontoinsular cortex of humans.1 In 1999, Nimchinsky and colleagues discovered that among...
- Spindle Neurons In Elephants And Dolphins: Convergent Evolution In Large-brained Mammals?
Fig. 1 (Hakeem et al., 2009). Photomicrographs of VENs in the brain of the African elephant. A: VENs in frontoinsular cortex (area FI). Scale = 25 μm. Spindle neurons, or Von Economo neurons (VENs), are a unique type of large, bipolar neuron found in...
- Spindle Neurons And Science Writing
In the wake of a hyperbolic new article (Freedberg & Gallese, 2007) on trendoid mirror neurons, Neurobloggy Land has noted that spindle neurons (aka von Economo neurons) are competing for attention. In Neuroscience and Science Writing, Jonah at The...
- Spindle Neurons And Frontotemporal Dementia
More on spindle neurons (or von Economo neurons), the next new thing: Window into human behavior, brain disease UCSF scientists have identified a cell population that is a primary target of the degenerative brain disease known as frontotemporal dementia,...
- Frontopolar Cortex Moves To The Back Of The Brain
from Christoff & Gabrieli 2000 In case you missed this announcement, as I did, New Scientist has now declared that frontopolar cortex is in the back of the brain: In addition, unlike in humans, the researchers also found spindle cells in the frontopolar...
Neuroscience
Spindle Neurons
From the CBC:
Humpback whales share brain cells with humans
Last Updated: Monday, November 27, 2006 | 1:12 PM ET
CBC News
Humpback whales have joined an exclusive evolutionary club alongside humans, gorillas and dolphins, thanks to the discovery of a particular type of brain cell in the large aquatic mammals.
The brains of humpback whales contain spindle neurons, a kind of brain cell found in the cerebral cortex in large primates like humans and gorillas, according to a study published online on Monday.
Patrick R. Hof and Estel Van der Gucht of the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York published their findings in The Anatomical Record, the official journal of the American Association of Anatomists.
The authors found humpback whales not only had spindle neurons in the same area of the cortex where they are found in hominids, but also in other parts of their brain.
Named for their long, spindle-shaped bodies, spindle neurons are a complex and not completely understood cellular structure found in the brains of larger primates and cetaceans, the group of marine mammals that includes whales and dolphins.
They are thought to be involved in cognitive processes such as learning, remembering and recognizing, and are affected by conditions like Alzheimer's disease, autism and schizophrenia. In humans, they occur in the part of the brain thought to control speech, social organization and empathy.
[ ... Read the full article ... ]
-
Anthony H. Risser | neuroscience | neuropsychology | brain
- Spindle Neurons In Macaques?
Spindle neurons, or Von Economo neurons (VENs), are a unique type of large, bipolar neuron found primarily in layer Vb in the anterior cingulate cortex and the frontoinsular cortex of humans.1 In 1999, Nimchinsky and colleagues discovered that among...
- Spindle Neurons In Elephants And Dolphins: Convergent Evolution In Large-brained Mammals?
Fig. 1 (Hakeem et al., 2009). Photomicrographs of VENs in the brain of the African elephant. A: VENs in frontoinsular cortex (area FI). Scale = 25 μm. Spindle neurons, or Von Economo neurons (VENs), are a unique type of large, bipolar neuron found in...
- Spindle Neurons And Science Writing
In the wake of a hyperbolic new article (Freedberg & Gallese, 2007) on trendoid mirror neurons, Neurobloggy Land has noted that spindle neurons (aka von Economo neurons) are competing for attention. In Neuroscience and Science Writing, Jonah at The...
- Spindle Neurons And Frontotemporal Dementia
More on spindle neurons (or von Economo neurons), the next new thing: Window into human behavior, brain disease UCSF scientists have identified a cell population that is a primary target of the degenerative brain disease known as frontotemporal dementia,...
- Frontopolar Cortex Moves To The Back Of The Brain
from Christoff & Gabrieli 2000 In case you missed this announcement, as I did, New Scientist has now declared that frontopolar cortex is in the back of the brain: In addition, unlike in humans, the researchers also found spindle cells in the frontopolar...