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Evolutionary shifts dramatically reorganized the human hippocampal complex.

Brian M Schilder1,2,3, Heywood M Petry4, Patrick R Hof1,3

  • 1Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.

The Journal of Comparative Neurology
|November 23, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The human hippocampal complex (HC) shows the largest evolutionary shifts in size and organization among primates. These changes likely underpin unique human abilities like episodic simulation and advanced memory.

Keywords:
biological evolutionecologyepisodic memoryhippocampusmemoryprimatesspatial navigation

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Primatology

Background:

  • The hippocampal complex (HC) is crucial for memory and spatial navigation.
  • Human HC capacities, like constructive episodic simulation, are enhanced.
  • Previous research noted the disproportionately large human HC among hominoids.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate evolutionary reorganization and ecological selection of HC subregions in primates.
  • To identify evolutionary shifts in HC organization over 65 million years.
  • To correlate HC structure with ecological variables.

Main Methods:

  • Calculated relative sizes of 12 HC subregions in 44 primate species.
  • Employed Bayesian phylogenetic methods and selective regime analysis.
  • Conducted multivariate phylogenetic regressions with ecological predictors.

Main Results:

  • Identified 27 evolutionary shifts in HC organization across primate evolution.
  • Found that larger home range size significantly predicted relative fascia dentata and CA1 size.
  • Observed the largest HC size and organizational shifts in the human lineage, making humans an outlier.

Conclusions:

  • Evolutionary shifts in HC size and organization are linked to ecological factors like home range.
  • The significant HC evolution in humans likely facilitated unique cognitive abilities.
  • Human HC structure is a distinct outlier compared to other primates.