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Related Experiment Videos

A neuronal morphologic type unique to humans and great apes.

E A Nimchinsky1, E Gilissen, J M Allman

  • 1Kastor Neurobiology of Aging Laboratories and Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|April 29, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Unique spindle-shaped neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are found in humans and apes, correlating with brain size. These cells may indicate recent primate brain evolution and Alzheimer's disease susceptibility.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Primate Evolution
  • Comparative Anatomy

Background:

  • The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is crucial for cognitive and autonomic functions.
  • Understanding neocortical evolution requires examining specific neuronal populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize unusual projection neurons in the ACC of higher primates.
  • To investigate the evolutionary distribution and potential adaptive significance of these neurons.

Main Methods:

  • Histological examination of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in pongids, hominids, and other primate and mammalian species.
  • Correlation analysis between neuron volume and brain volume residuals (encephalization).

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • A unique type of large, spindle-shaped projection neuron was identified in layer Vb of the ACC in pongids and hominids.
  • These spindle cells were absent in other primate and mammalian taxa studied.
  • Neuron volume positively correlated with brain volume residuals, suggesting a link to encephalization.

    • Conclusions:

    • The presence of these spindle cells in the ACC of hominids and pongids suggests a recent evolutionary development in primate neocortical evolution.
    • These findings may shed light on adaptive changes in the ACC over the last 15-20 million years.
    • The previously observed vulnerability of these neurons in Alzheimer's disease suggests a recent evolutionary origin for differential neuronal susceptibility in human brain aging.