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Developmental structure in brain evolution.

B L Finlay1, R B Darlington, N Nicastro

  • 1Departments of Psychology and Neurobiology and Behavior, Uris Hall, Comell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. blf2@cornell.edu

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|September 4, 2001
PubMed
Summary
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Brain evolution in mammals is driven by the coordinated growth of brain structures, not just cognitive challenges. A conserved neurogenesis order predicts relative brain part scaling, influencing overall brain expansion.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Comparative neuroanatomy
  • Mammalian evolution

Background:

  • The prevailing hypothesis for mammalian brain expansion attributes it to individual structure growth driven by niche-specific cognitive demands.
  • This perspective often overlooks the interconnectedness and coordinated development of brain regions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the primary drivers of brain expansion in mammals.
  • To determine the relative importance of niche-specific selection versus intrinsic developmental constraints on brain evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of allometric data from 131 mammalian species.
  • Multiple regression analysis to assess the influence of taxonomic and body size factors versus inter-structure covariance.
  • Examination of conserved neurogenesis order to predict brain structure scaling.

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Main Results:

  • For 9 out of 11 brain structures, inter-structure covariance was more significant than taxonomic or body size factors in predicting expansion.
  • A conserved order of neurogenesis accurately predicts the relative scaling of both major brain regions (isocortex, mesencephalon) and finer structures (thalamic nuclei).
  • While specialized selection for specific functions occurs, it plays a minor role compared to large-scale covariance.

Conclusions:

  • Mammalian brain expansion is largely governed by the coordinated growth of interconnected brain structures, following a conserved developmental pattern.
  • The concept of brain structures evolving as 'spandrels' due to developmental constraints, later co-opted for functions, provides an alternative to purely cognitive-driven evolution.
  • This challenges the assumption that specific brain region enlargement for cognitive advancement is the sole or primary driver of brain evolution, particularly in hominids.