List of animals by number of neurons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of representative animals by the number of neurons in their whole nervous system and the number of neurons in their brain (for those which have a brain). These numbers are estimates derived by multiplying the density of neurons in a particular animal by the average volume of the animal's brain.
Contents |
Overview [edit]
Neurons are the cells which transmit information in the nervous system of an animal so that it can sense stimuli coming from its environment and behave accordingly. Not all animals have neurons; Trichoplax and sponges lack nerve cells altogether.
Neurons may be packed to form structures such as the brain of vertebrates or the neural ganglions of insects.
The number of neurons and their relative abundance in different parts of the brain is a determinant of neural function and, consequently, of behavior.
Whole nervous system [edit]
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
| Name | Neurons in the brain/whole nervous system | Details | Image | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponge | 0 |
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| Trichoplax | 0 |
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[1] | |
| Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm) | 302 | ~ 5,000 synapses |
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[2] |
| Medicinal leech | 10,000 |
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[3] | |
| Pond snail | 11,000 |
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[4] | |
| Sea slug | 18,000 |
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[5] | |
| Fruit fly | 100,000 | ~ 107 synapses |
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[6] |
| Lobster | 100,000 |
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[7] | |
| Ant | 250,000 | Varies per species |
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[8] |
| Honey bee | 960,000 | ~ 109 synapses |
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[10] |
| Cockroach | 1,000,000 |
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[11] | |
| Frog | 16,000,000 |
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[12] | |
| Mouse | 75,000,000 | ~ 1011 synapses |
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[13] |
| Rat | 56,000,000 | 448 × 109 |  |
[14] |
| Octopus | 300,000,000 |
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[15] | |
| Cat | 1,000,000,000 | 1012–1013 synapses |
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[16] |
| Common Chimpanzee | 6,700,000,000 |  |
[17] | |
| Elephant | 23,000,000,000 |
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[18] | |
| Human | 85,000,000,000 | For average adult; 1014–1015 synapses |
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[18] |
Cerebral cortex [edit]
Only mammals appear in this list, because only mammals have a cerebral cortex (although the pallium of reptiles and birds is also frequently referred to as "cortex".)
| Name | Neurons in the cerebral cortex | Details | Image | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mouse | 4,000,000 | Genus Mus, unknown species |
|
[4] |
| Rat | 15,000,000[19] 21,000,000[20] |
Genus Rattus, unknown species |
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|
| Hedgehog | 24,000,000 | Subfamily Erinaceinae, unknown genus and species |
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[19] |
| Opossum | 27,000,000 | Family Didelphidae, unknown genus and species |
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[19] |
| Dog | 160,000,000 | Canis lupus familiaris |
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[4] |
| Cat | 300,000,000 | Felis catus or Felis silvestris catus |
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[4] |
| Tarsius | 310,000,000 | Genus Tarsius, unknown species |
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[21] |
| Squirrel monkey | 430,000,000 | Genus Saimiri, unknown species |
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[22] |
| Rhesus macaque | 480,000,000 | Macaca mulatta |
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[19] |
| Gracile capuchin monkey | 600,000,000–700,000,000 | Genus Cebus, unknown species |
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[22] |
| Horse | 1,200,000,000 | Equus ferus caballus |
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[23] |
| Night monkey | 1,500,000,000 | Genus Aotus, unknown species |
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[23] |
| Fin whale | 1,500,000,000 | Balaenoptera physalus |
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[18] |
| Guenon | 2,500,000,000 | Genus Cercopithecus, unknown species |
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[21] |
| Pilot whale | 3,000,000,000 | Genus Globicephala, unknown species |
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[18] |
| Gorilla | 4,300,000,000 | Genus Gorilla, unknown species |
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[22] |
| Bottlenose dolphin | 5,800,000,000 | Genus Tursiops, unknown species |
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[23] |
| Chimpanzee | 5,500,000,000[21] 6,200,000,000[4] |
Genus Pan, unknown species |
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|
| False killer whale | 10,500,000,000 | Pseudorca crassidens |
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[23] |
| African elephant | 11,000,000,000 | Genus Loxodonta, unknown species |
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[23] |
| Human | 19,000,000,000–23,000,000,000 | For average adult "The average number of neocortical neurons was 19 billion in female brains and 23 billion in male brains." |
|
[18] [24] |
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Schierwater B (December 2005). "My favorite animal, Trichoplax adhaerens". BioEssays 27 (12): 1294–1302. doi:10.1002/bies.20320. PMID 16299758.
- ^ White, J. G; E. Southgate, J. N Thomson, S. Brenner (1986-11-12). "The Structure of the Nervous System of the Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences 314 (1165): 1–340. doi:10.1098/rstb.1986.0056. ISSN 1471–2970 0962-8436, 1471–2970. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
- ^ Kuffler SW and Potter DD (1964). "Glia in the leech central nervous system: physiological properties and neuron-glia relationship". J. Neurophysiol. 27: 290–320. PMID 14129773.
- ^ a b c d e Roth G, Dicke U (May 2005). "Evolution of the brain and intelligence". Trends Cogn. Sci. (Regul. Ed.) 9 (5): 250–7. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2005.03.005. PMID 15866152. as PDF
- ^ Cash D, Carew TJ (1989). "A quantitative analysis of the development of the central nervous system in juvenile Aplysia californica". J Neurobiol. 20: 25–47. doi:10.1002/neu.480200104. PMID 2921607.
- ^ Random House, Inc. Academic Resources | Titles of Academic Interest for Universities and Colleges
- ^ "Anatomy & Biology". The Lobster Institute. University of Maine. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
- ^ John and Sarah Tefl. "Interesting Facts About Ants". Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ "Ant Fun Facts". Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ Menzel R, Giurfa M (February 2001). "Cognitive architecture of a mini-brain: the honeybee". Trends Cogn. Sci. 5 (2): 62. doi:10.1016/S1364-6613(00)01601-6. PMID 11166636.
- ^ "A Strange Approach to Social Interaction, and Butterflies". Anthropology.net. January 10, 2007. Archived from the original on January 13, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
- ^ Frog Brain Neuron Number
- ^ Williams, Robert W. (2000). "Mapping Genes that Modulate Mouse Brain Development: A Quantitative Genetic Approach". In: Mouse brain development (Goffinet AF, Rakic P, eds), Springer Verlag, New York, pp 21–49.
- ^ "KEYNOTE: Cognitive Computing: Neuroscience, Supercomputing, Nanotechnology".
- ^ Brain Facts and Figures
- ^ The Race to Reverse Engineer the Human Brain
- ^ Hart, Benjamin L.; Hart, Lynette A.; Pinter-Wollman, Noa (2008). "Large brains and cognition: Where do elephants fit in?". Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (32): 86–98. Retrieved July 13, 2012. More than one of
|work=and|journal=specified (help) - ^ a b c d e Herculano-Houzel S (2009). "The human brain in numbers: a linearly scaled-up primate brain". Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 3: 31. doi:10.3389/neuro.09.031.2009. PMC 2776484. PMID 19915731.
- ^ a b c d Fasolo, Aldo (30 November 2011). The Theory of Evolution and Its Impact. Springer. p. 182. ISBN 978-88-470-1973-7.
- ^ Korbo L, Pakkenberg B, Ladefoged O, Gundersen HJ, Arlien-Søborg P, Pakkenberg H (February 1990). "An efficient method for estimating the total number of neurons in rat brain cortex". J. Neurosci. Methods 31 (2): 93–100. doi:10.1016/0165-0270(90)90153-7. PMID 2181205.
- ^ a b c Quarton, Gardner C.; Melnechuk, Theodore; Schmitt, Francis O. (1967). The neurosciences. Rockefeller University Press. p. 732. GGKEY:DF21HXQKLNX.
- ^ a b c Hofman, Michel A.; Falk, Dean (2 March 2012). Evolution of the Primate Brain: From Neuron to Behavior. Elsevier. p. 424. ISBN 978-0-444-53867-3.
- ^ a b c d e Hofman, Michel A.; Falk, Dean (2 March 2012). Evolution of the Primate Brain: From Neuron to Behavior. Elsevier. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-444-53860-4.
- ^ Steven M. Platek, Julian Paul Keenan, and Todd K. Shackelford (2009). Evolutionary Cognitive Neuroscience. p. 139.
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