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Updated: May 8, 2026

Dissection of Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus from Adult Mouse

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Published on: November 18, 2009

Mosaic evolution of brain structure in mammals.

R A Barton¹, P H Harvey

¹Department of Anthropology, University of Durham, UK. r.a.barton@durham.ac.uk

|July 13, 2000

Summary

Mammalian brain evolution shows mosaic change, not just coordinated growth. Specific brain regions like the neocortex expanded independently, challenging theories of limited developmental plasticity.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Evolutionary Biology
Comparative Anatomy

Background:

The mammalian brain has functionally distinct systems.
Previous research suggested developmental constraints limited mosaic evolution in the brain, causing coordinated size changes.
This study investigates the extent of mosaic evolution in mammalian brain structure.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze comparative data on mammalian brain structure evolution.
To demonstrate that mosaic change has been a significant factor in brain evolution.
To challenge the notion that developmental constraints exclusively dictate brain evolution.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of brain structure volumes across different mammalian groups.
Statistical analysis to account for allometric scaling relationships.

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Examination of evolutionary changes at the level of basic brain subdivisions and fine-grained functional systems.

Main Results:

The neocortex volume shows significant differences between primates and insectivores, independent of overall brain size.
Brain structures with strong anatomical and functional links evolved cohesively, but not always in coordination with other brain components.
Mosaic evolution was observed across different levels of brain organization, from broad subdivisions to specific functional systems.

Conclusions:

Mosaic evolution, characterized by selective size changes in brain components, is a key driver of mammalian brain evolution.
Developmental constraints do not entirely prevent independent evolution of brain systems.
Brain evolution involves complex interplay between coordinated and independent changes in its constituent parts.