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Updated: Aug 2, 2025
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Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices
Published on: January 22, 2018
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Evolution of cortical geometry and its link to function, behaviour and ecology.
Ernst Schwartz1, Karl-Heinz Nenning1,2, Katja Heuer3
1Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Computational Imaging Research Lab, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Nature Communications
|April 20, 2023
Summary
The evolution of the cerebral cortex shape in Euarchontoglires is linked to socio-ecological niches and behavior, not just brain size. Ancestral reconstructions reveal distinct evolutionary paths for brain regions, influencing function and cognition.
Area of Science:
- Comparative neuroanatomy
- Evolutionary biology
- Paleontology
Background:
- Socio-ecological niches influence cerebral cortex morphology, but evolutionary theories conflict.
- Understanding the relationship between cortical shape and function is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between cerebral cortex shape and functional topography across 90 Euarchontoglires species.
- To reconstruct the evolutionary history of cortical shape and its association with behavior and cognition.
Main Methods:
- Developed a joint geometric representation of cerebral cortices for 90 extant Euarchontoglires species.
- Performed ancestral shape reconstruction of the cortical surface to trace evolutionary changes.
- Analyzed the relationship between cortical geometry, species ecology, behavior, and brain size.
Main Results:
- Cortical surface geometry variability correlates with species' ecology and behavior, independent of brain size.
- Evolutionary reconstructions revealed localized cortical expansions and functional segregation linked to behavior.
- Different cortical regions exhibit distinct sequences of area increase during adaptation to socio-ecological niches.
Conclusions:
- The evolutionary history of cortical regions is critical for understanding their current anatomy and function.
- Observed anatomical correlates in extant species reflect evolutionary adaptations to dynamic environments.
- Decomposition of human cortical surface evolution highlights interpretable functional associations.
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