Brain structure and function: a multidisciplinary pipeline to study hominoid brain evolution.

Area of Science:

• Primate evolutionary biology
• Neuroanatomy
• Comparative psychology

Background:

• Understanding hominoid brain evolution requires comparative studies with primates.
• Ethical constraints prevent in vivo neuroimaging of great apes, necessitating alternative methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a multidisciplinary approach linking behavior to brain anatomy in non-human primates.
• To provide new perspectives on brain evolution and functional differentiation in hominoids.
• To establish a framework for decoding evolutionary changes in hominin fossils.

Main Methods:

• Post-mortem analysis of primate brains (wild and captive) using advanced MRI and histology.
• Linking detailed neuroanatomical data with observed behaviors across diverse primate species.
• Utilizing endocranial brain imprints from CT scans of skulls.

Main Results:

• Established a novel methodology for studying primate brain evolution.
• Generated a comprehensive dataset linking neuroanatomy, behavior, and ecological background.
• Provided a framework for interpreting hominin fossil endocasts.

Conclusions:

• This approach offers a responsible and effective alternative to in vivo studies for understanding hominoid brain evolution.
• The integrated neuroanatomical and behavioral data provide crucial insights into functional differentiation.
• This research serves as a key resource for future investigations into primate and hominin brain evolution.