Insular Cortex
Insular Cortex Project
Our research is focused on understanding the circuit organization of the primate insular cortex at the level of cell types and their connections. For instance, the human insular cortex houses two unique morphotypes, von Economo neurons (VENs) and fork cells, which are concentrated in anterior insula.
We aim to decipher the transcriptomic signatures, physiology, and connectivity of the specialized morphotypes in primate insular cortex by taking advantage of patch-seq, single nuclei RNA-sequencing and spatial transcriptomic analysis.
For instance, the human insular cortex houses two unique morphotypes, von Economo neurons (VENs) and fork cells, which are concentrated in anterior insula.
We aim to decipher the transcriptomic signatures, physiology, and connectivity of the specialized morphotypes in primate insular cortex by taking advantage of patch-seq, single nuclei RNA-sequencing and spatial transcriptomic analysis.
Morphological reconstruction of deep layer insular cortex neurons obtained via multi-patch recording of non-human primate (NHP) tissue.w
NeuN staining of VENs in monkey insular cortex at 10x magnification.