Von Economo neurons (VENs) are a recently evolved cell type which may be involved in the fast intuitive assessment of complex situations. As such, they could be part of the circuitry supporting human social networks. We propose that the VENs relay an output of fronto-insular and anterior cingulate cortex to the parts of frontal and temporal cortex associated with theory-of-mind, where fast intuitions are melded with slower, deliberative judgments. The VENs emerge mainly after birth and increase in number until age 4 yrs. We propose that in autism spectrum disorders the VENs fail to develop normally, and that this failure might be partially responsible for the associated social disabilities that result from faulty intuition.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2005.06.008 | DOI Listing |
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A key aspect of brain aging that remains poorly understood is its high regional heterogeneity and heterochronicity. A better understanding of how the structural organization of the brain shapes aging trajectories is needed. Neuroimaging tissue "types" are often collected and analyzed as separate acquisitions, an approach that cannot provide a holistic view of age-related change of the related portions of the neurons (cell bodies and axons).
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State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, P.R. China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of Integrative Anthropology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650107, China; National Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution and Animal Model, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China; National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Primate Research Center, and National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China. Electronic address:
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of the human brain is involved in higher-level cognitive functions such as emotion and self-awareness. We generated profiles of human and macaque ACC gene expression and chromatin accessibility at single-nucleus resolution. We characterized the conserved patterns of gene expression, chromatin accessibility, and transcription factor binding in different cell types.
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