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Human torque is not present in chimpanzee brain.

Xiang Li1, Timothy J Crow2, William D Hopkins3

  • 1School of Clinical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom.

Neuroimage
|October 17, 2017
PubMed
Summary

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Human brains exhibit unique asymmetries, including a "Torque" pattern and leftward temporal lobe displacement, unlike chimpanzee brains. These differences may relate to language evolution.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Comparative Anatomy
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Brain asymmetry is a hallmark of human cognition.
  • Understanding species-specific brain morphology is crucial for evolutionary studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate positional brain surface asymmetries in humans and chimpanzees.
  • To compare human and chimpanzee brain morphology using Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging.
  • To explore potential evolutionary correlates of brain asymmetry and language faculty.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Magnetic Resonance (MR) images from 223 humans and 70 chimpanzees.
  • Measurement of positional brain surface asymmetries via vertex pair displacements relative to a mid-sagittal plane.
  • Comparison of hemispheric dimensions (length, height, width) between species.
Keywords:
AsymmetryChimpanzeeOccipital bendingPetaliaSuperior temporal sulcusTorque

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Main Results:

  • Humans display significant asymmetries: Torque pattern (right-frontal/left-occipital petalia), leftward anterior temporal lobe and Superior Temporal Sulcus (STS) displacement, and left occipito-temporal surface posterior positioning.
  • Chimpanzees lack these specific human asymmetries and show no sex-related differences in these patterns.
  • Human brains exhibit hemispheric size differences: left hemisphere is longer and shorter in height than the right, unlike the equal dimensions in chimpanzees.
  • A sexually dimorphic pattern in the left vs. right orbital frontal cortex position was observed in humans.

Conclusions:

  • Human brain asymmetry is distinct from chimpanzee brain morphology.
  • Observed asymmetries, particularly in language-related areas, may be linked to the evolution of language.
  • Hemispheric size differences in humans could also play a role in cognitive specializations.