Quantitative analysis of arterial supply to the developing brain in tetrapod vertebrates

Understanding the metabolic cost of building developing tetrapod brains is critically important to explaining the more than 10-fold differences in encephalization of adult tetrapods that have emerged during evolution. The exact metabolic costs of developing the variety of tetrapod brains are impossible to determine, but one can compare cerebral artery caliber (internal radius raised to the fourth power-r⁴ ) across developing tetrapod vertebrate groups as a proxy of cerebral arterial flow, the delivery of nutrients during embryogenesis and early postnatal development, and hence the metabolic costs of brain development. In this study, r⁴ of aortic outflow and cerebral inflow arteries, as well as aortic wall thickness as a proxy of arterial pressure, were measured and compared between developing representatives of all four tetrapod classes (mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians). We found a clear endotherm/ectotherm dichotomy in aortic outflow and cerebral inflow between developing mammals and birds on the one hand, and developing reptiles and amphibians on the other. We did not find strong evidence for functionally significant differences in cerebral arterial caliber between groups at the order level (i.e., within birds, reptiles or amphibians). In particular, we did not find evidence in favor of increased blood supply to the brain for more behaviorally complex and encephalized avian species.