[1] Von Economo neurons are also found in the brains of a number of cetaceans,[2][3][4] African and Asian elephants,[5] and to a lesser extent in macaque monkeys[6] and raccoons.

[7] The appearance of von Economo neurons in distantly related clades suggests that they represent convergent evolution – specifically, as an adaptation to accommodate the increasing size of these distantly-related animals' brains.

[7] In 1999, American neuroscientist John Allman and colleagues at the California Institute of Technology first published a report on von Economo neurons found in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of hominids but not any other species.

[14][15] Allman's team proposes that von Economo neurons help channel neural signals from deep within the cortex to relatively distant parts of the brain.

[14] Specifically, Allman's team found signals from the ACC are received in Brodmann's area 10, in the frontal polar cortex, where regulation of cognitive dissonance (disambiguation between alternatives) is thought to occur.

In brain imaging studies, the ACC has specifically been found to be active when mothers hear infants cry, underscoring its role in affording a heightened degree of social sensitivity.

Significant olfactory and gustatory capabilities of the ACC and fronto-insular cortex appear to have been usurped, during recent evolution, to serve enhanced roles related to higher cognition – ranging from planning and self-awareness to role-playing and deception.

The diminished olfactory function of humans, compared with other primates, may be related to the fact that von Economo neurons located at crucial neural network hubs have only two dendrites rather than many, resulting in reduced neurological integration.

[citation needed] Altered von Economo neuron states have been implicated in both schizophrenia and autism, but research into these correlations remains at a very early stage.