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spindle neuron
Spindle neurons, also called von Economo neurons (VENs), are a specific class of neurons that are characterized by a large spindle-shaped soma (or body), gradually tapering into a single apical axon in one direction, with only a single dendrite facing opposite. Other neurons tend to have many dendrites, and the polar-shaped morphology of spindle neurons is unique. A neuron's dendrites receive signals, and its axon sends them.
Spindle neurons are found in two very restricted regions in the brains of hominids—the family of species comprising humans and other great apes—the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the fronto-insular cortex (FI). Recently they have been discovered in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of humans. Spindle cells are also found in the brains of the humpback whales, fin whales, killer whales, sperm whales, bottlenose dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, beluga whales, African and Asian elephants, and to a lesser extent in macaque monkeys〔http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120521115353.htm〕 and raccoons. The appearance of spindle neurons in distantly related clades suggests that they represent convergent evolution, specifically an adaptation to larger brains.
Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist Constantin von Economo (1876–1931) discovered spindle neurons and described them in 1929, which is why they are sometimes called von Economo neurons.〔von Economo, C., & Koskinas, G. N. (1929). The cytoarchitectonics of the human cerebral cortex. London: Oxford University Press〕
==Function of spindle neurons==
Spindle neurons are relatively large cells that may allow rapid communication across the relatively large brains of great apes, elephants, and cetaceans. Although rare in comparison to other neurons, spindle neurons are abundant, and large, in humans. However, the concentration of spindle cells has been measured to be three times higher in cetaceans in comparison to humans.〔 They have only been found thus far in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), fronto-insular cortex (FI), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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