--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unlike the heart or kidney, which have a…" description: "\"Unlike the heart or kidney, which have a small, defined set of cell types, we still do not have a taxonomy of neurons, and neuroscientists still argue ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/thomas-r-insel-25105_about_unlike-the-heart-or-kidney-which-have-a_1626425.jpg" --- # Unlike the heart or kidney, which have a small, defined… ![“Unlike the heart or kidney, which have a small, defined set of cell types, we still do not have a taxonomy of neurons, and neuroscientists still argue whether specific types of neurons are unique to humans. But there is no disputing that neurons are only about 10 percent of the cells in the human…” quote by Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/thomas-r-insel-25105_about_unlike-the-heart-or-kidney-which-have-a_1626425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/thomas-r-insel-25105_about_unlike-the-heart-or-kidney-which-have-a_1626425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/thomas-r-insel-25105_about_unlike-the-heart-or-kidney-which-have-a_1626425.jpg) > “Unlike the heart or kidney, which have a small, defined set of cell types, we still do not have a taxonomy of neurons, and neuroscientists still argue whether specific types of neurons are unique to humans. But there is no disputing that neurons are only about 10 percent of the cells in the human brain.” [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Neuronal diversity is poorly classified, and scientists debate human‑specific neuron types, despite neurons being a minority of brain cells. **In simple terms:** We lack a clear neuron taxonomy and debate human‑specific types. Key Takeaway Support research into neuron classification. Themes neuroscience classification human uniqueness Mood curious analytical Type scientific informative When to use this quote - research labs - academic conferences - grant proposals - educational curricula Key Concepts cell taxonomy species differences brain composition Questions to Reflect On - How can new technologies improve neuron classification? - Are human‑specific neurons functionally distinct? A Different Perspective Current methods cannot capture full neuronal complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Cell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cell/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-brain/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Neurons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neurons/) ## Related quotes > [The brain is the most complicated organ in the universe. We have learned a lot about other human organs. We know how the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-brain-is-the-most-complicated-organ-in-the-universe-we-have/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [It started last year, during the summer. I went to the doctor and they found out it was kidney stones, so they had surgery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-phillips/it-started-last-year-during-the-summer-i-went-to-the-doctor-and-they/) [Phillip Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-phillips/) > [“I hope you can grow a third kidney, Drew," Erin says. "Because if Mathew, Jack and Steven ever need one at the same time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/i-hope-you-can-grow-a-third-kidney-drew-erin-says-because-if-mathew/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [I think I signed my left kidney to Disney and my right kidney to George Lucas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greig-fraser/i-think-i-signed-my-left-kidney-to-disney-and-my-right-kidney-to/) [Greig Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greig-fraser/) > [Give me another chance, I'm needin' it like a kidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenzie-ann/give-me-another-chance-i-m-needin-it-like-a-kidney/) [Kenzie-ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenzie-ann/) > [About six months after I had my little boy in April 2014, I ended up getting a kidney disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fallon-sherrock/about-six-months-after-i-had-my-little-boy-in-april-2014-i-ended-up/) [Fallon Sherrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fallon-sherrock/) > [For diabetes in particular, we know there's a relationship between lack of glucose regulation and complications like blindness and kidney failure. So if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-topol/for-diabetes-in-particular-we-know-there-s-a-relationship-between/) [Eric Topol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-topol/) > [Yes - I am usually overweight. I have had to be interested in diet because of being diabetic for 30 years and having kidney failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-townsend/yes-i-am-usually-overweight-i-have-had-to-be-interested-in-diet/) [Sue Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-townsend/) > [I have strong views against substance usage and abuse. It's bad for kidney and central neuro system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-dev/i-have-strong-views-against-substance-usage-and-abuse-it-s-bad-for/) [Rahul Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-dev/) > [“Listen to me. I can live without a kidney. I can live without football. I can live without a lot of things. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/listen-to-me-i-can-live-without-a-kidney-i-can-live-without-football/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [I believe for some high-technology medicine, like transplants and kidney dialysis, age should be a consideration in the delivery of that technology. In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-believe-for-some-high-technology-medicine-like-transplants-and/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I was in kidney failure. I ended up having a kidney transplant on my 21st birthday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-purdy/i-was-in-kidney-failure-i-ended-up-having-a-kidney-transplant-on-my/) [Amy Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-purdy/) > [I fought COVID double bilateral pneumonia - both lungs - and kidney failure in my house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarface/i-fought-covid-double-bilateral-pneumonia-both-lungs-and-kidney/) [Scarface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarface/) > [The battle against cancer has made me strong. It's like winning a war! When I was diagnosed, I was told by doctors my kidney,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuvraj-singh/the-battle-against-cancer-has-made-me-strong-it-s-like-winning-a-war/) [Yuvraj Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuvraj-singh/) > [Post-operatively the transplanted kidney functioned immediately with a dramatic improvement in the patient's renal and cardiopulmonary status. This spectacular success was a clear demonstration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murray/post-operatively-the-transplanted-kidney-functioned-immediately-with/) [Joseph Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murray/) ## More by Thomas R. Insel > [Nearly every business collects metrics on inventory, sales, and workplace process. Health care has been slow to measure these kinds of outcomes. Increasingly, general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/nearly-every-business-collects-metrics-on-inventory-sales-and/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [I trained in psychiatry in the 1970s, and much of our training was about what was then psychoanalytic theory, with a little bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/i-trained-in-psychiatry-in-the-1970s-and-much-of-our-training-was/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [Most of our brain cells are glial cells, once thought to be mere support cells, but now understood as having a critical role in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/most-of-our-brain-cells-are-glial-cells-once-thought-to-be-mere/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [Reports that online cognitive behavioral treatment can be as effective as in-person psychotherapy suggest that technology will expand access, extend the impact of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/reports-that-online-cognitive-behavioral-treatment-can-be-as/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [We have to remain humble about our understanding of the brain, because even our most powerful tools remain pretty blunt instruments for decoding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/we-have-to-remain-humble-about-our-understanding-of-the-brain-because/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [What do we know about autism in 2013? Autism symptoms generally emerge before age three and usually much earlier, often as language delays or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/what-do-we-know-about-autism-in-2013-autism-symptoms-generally-emerge/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [After a century of studying schizophrenia, the cause of the disorder remains unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/after-a-century-of-studying-schizophrenia-the-cause-of-the-disorder/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [A National Database on Autism Research is fostering sharing of data and collaborations. Scientists are also making great strides at the interface of biology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/a-national-database-on-autism-research-is-fostering-sharing-of-data/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [For bipolar in adults, I think there's pretty good agreement about what this looks like. For bipolar in children, there is some considerable debate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/for-bipolar-in-adults-i-think-there-s-pretty-good-agreement-about/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [In the 1830s, Dorothea Dix revolutionized the care of people with mental illness by taking them out of jails and caring for them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/in-the-1830s-dorothea-dix-revolutionized-the-care-of-people-with/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [My philosophy is really based on humility. I don't think we know enough to fix either diagnostics or therapeutics. The future of psychiatry is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/my-philosophy-is-really-based-on-humility-i-don-t-think-we-know/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [Sometimes, patients with serious mental illness, just as with other serious medical illnesses, require hospitalization. In the absence of available public or private hospital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/sometimes-patients-with-serious-mental-illness-just-as-with-other/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [From wearable sensors to video game treatments, everyone seems to be looking to technology as the next wave of innovation for mental health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/from-wearable-sensors-to-video-game-treatments-everyone-seems-to-be/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [What causes autism? As far as we know in 2013, there is no single gene or single environmental factor that accounts for the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/what-causes-autism-as-far-as-we-know-in-2013-there-is-no-single-gene/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [When we talk about the brain, it is anything but unidimensional or simplistic or reductionistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/when-we-talk-about-the-brain-it-is-anything-but-unidimensional-or/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) [Explore all 23 Thomas R. Insel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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