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Related Concept Videos

Sutures of the Skull01:22

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The human skull is composed of several bones that come together to protect the brain and support the structures of the face. The junctions where these bones meet are called sutures.
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Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the...
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The main and largest component of the human brain is the cerebrum. The cerebrum consists of two main parts: the cerebral cortex, an outer layer with wrinkles or folds known as gyri and shallow grooves called sulci, and a deeper region beneath it. The cerebrum divides into two distinct hemispheres and contains five different lobes: the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and insula. The central sulcus separates the frontal and parietal lobes and two functionally important gyri — the...
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Each cerebral hemisphere can be divided into three main regions. The outermost region, the cerebral cortex, is a thin layer (2 to 4 millimeters thick) made up of gray matter, consisting of neuron cell bodies, dendrites, glial cells, and blood vessels. The middle region, or white matter, is primarily composed of myelinated nerve fibers organized into three types of large tracts: association fibers, commissures, and projection fibers. Association fibers connect different areas within the same...
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The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
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Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices
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Allometry, evolution and development of neocortex size in mammals.

Jeroen B Smaers1, Carrie S Mongle2, Kamran Safi3

  • 1Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States.

Progress in Brain Research
|November 10, 2019
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Summary

Mammalian brain evolution shows greater neocortex size variability than assumed. Shifts in growth allocation and faster evolution in later-developing regions suggest increased neurodevelopmental flexibility.

Keywords:
AllometryCovariationMacroevolutionNeocortex

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Comparative anatomy

Background:

  • Neocortex size variation is key to mammalian brain evolution.
  • A long-held assumption is a stable, monotonic allometric relationship between neocortex and brain size across species.
  • This implies limited evolutionary change in neurodevelopmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the assumption of a stable allometric relationship between neocortex and brain size.
  • To investigate evolutionary changes in covariation (slope) and integration strength (residual variation), not just mean size (intercept).
  • To analyze these patterns across a diverse dataset of 350 mammalian species from 11 orders.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of neocortex and brain size across 350 mammalian species.
  • Statistical investigation of allometric relationships, including slope and residual variation.
  • Examination of covariation shifts between neocortex and brainstem and their relation to size changes.

Main Results:

  • Identified nine distinct shifts in neocortex-brainstem covariation across mammalian groups.
  • These covariation shifts occurred independently of changes in overall brain or neocortex size.
  • In primates, stronger allometric integration in early-developing neocortical regions correlated with less evolutionary change, while later-developing regions showed more change.

Conclusions:

  • Mammalian neocortex evolution is more variable than previously thought.
  • Brain evolution involves repatterning of growth allocation independent of size.
  • Later-developing brain regions exhibit faster evolution, indicating greater flexibility in neurodevelopmental patterning.