1
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Schuurman T, Bruner E. A comparative anatomical network analysis of the human and chimpanzee brains. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e24988. [PMID: 38877829 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Spatial interactions among anatomical elements help to identify topological factors behind morphological variation and can be investigated through network analysis. Here, a whole-brain network model of the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes, Blumenbach 1776) is presented, based on macroanatomical divisions, and compared with a previous equivalent model of the human brain. The goal was to contrast which regions are essential in the geometric balance of the brains of the two species, to compare underlying phenotypic patterns of spatial variation, and to understand how these patterns might have influenced the evolution of human brain morphology. The human and chimpanzee brains share morphologically complex inferior-medial regions and a topological organization that matches the spatial constraints exerted by the surrounding braincase. These shared topological features are interesting because they can be traced back to the Chimpanzee-Human Last Common Ancestor, 7-10 million years ago. Nevertheless, some key differences are found in the human and chimpanzee brains. In humans, the temporal lobe, particularly its deep and medial limbic aspect (the parahippocampal gyrus), is a crucial node for topological complexity. Meanwhile, in chimpanzees, the cerebellum is, in this sense, more embedded in an intricate spatial position. This information helps to interpret brain macroanatomical change in fossil hominids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Schuurman
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
| | - Emiliano Bruner
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Alzheimer's Centre Reina Sofía-CIEN Foundation-ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
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2
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Lindhout FW, Krienen FM, Pollard KS, Lancaster MA. A molecular and cellular perspective on human brain evolution and tempo. Nature 2024; 630:596-608. [PMID: 38898293 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07521-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
The evolution of the modern human brain was accompanied by distinct molecular and cellular specializations, which underpin our diverse cognitive abilities but also increase our susceptibility to neurological diseases. These features, some specific to humans and others shared with related species, manifest during different stages of brain development. In this multi-stage process, neural stem cells proliferate to produce a large and diverse progenitor pool, giving rise to excitatory or inhibitory neurons that integrate into circuits during further maturation. This process unfolds over varying time scales across species and has progressively become slower in the human lineage, with differences in tempo correlating with differences in brain size, cell number and diversity, and connectivity. Here we introduce the terms 'bradychrony' and 'tachycrony' to describe slowed and accelerated developmental tempos, respectively. We review how recent technical advances across disciplines, including advanced engineering of in vitro models, functional comparative genetics and high-throughput single-cell profiling, are leading to a deeper understanding of how specializations of the human brain arise during bradychronic neurodevelopment. Emerging insights point to a central role for genetics, gene-regulatory networks, cellular innovations and developmental tempo, which together contribute to the establishment of human specializations during various stages of neurodevelopment and at different points in evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feline W Lindhout
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Fenna M Krienen
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Katherine S Pollard
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Institute for Computational Health Sciences, and Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Madeline A Lancaster
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
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3
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Manrique HM, Read DW, Walker MJ. On some statistical and cerebral aspects of the limits of working memory capacity in anthropoid primates, with particular reference to Pan and Homo, and their significance for human evolution. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 158:105543. [PMID: 38220036 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Some comparative ontogenetic data imply that effective working-memory capacity develops in ways that are independent of brain size in humans. These are interpreted better from neuroscientific considerations about the continuing development of neuronal architecture in adolescents and young adults, than from one about gross brain mass which already is reached in childhood. By contrast, working-memory capacity in Pan never develops beyond that of three- or four-year-old children. The phylogenetic divergence begs the question of whether it is any longer plausible to infer from the fossil record, that over the past two million years, an ostensibly gradual increase in endocranial volumes, assigned to the genus Homo, can be correlated in a scientifically-meaningful manner with the gradual evolution of our effective executive working memory. It is argued that whereas Pan's effective working-memory capacity is relatively similar to that of its storage working-memory, our working memory is relatively larger with deeper executive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Héctor M Manrique
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, Universidad de Zaragoza, Campus Universitario de Teruel, Ciudad Escolar, s/n. 44003 Teruel, Spain.
| | - Dwight W Read
- Department of Anthropology and Department of Statistics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| | - Michael J Walker
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
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4
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Spanaki C, Sidiropoulou K, Petraki Z, Diskos K, Konstantoudaki X, Volitaki E, Mylonaki K, Savvaki M, Plaitakis A. Glutamate-specific gene linked to human brain evolution enhances synaptic plasticity and cognitive processes. iScience 2024; 27:108821. [PMID: 38333701 PMCID: PMC10850756 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The human brain is characterized by the upregulation of synaptic, mainly glutamatergic, transmission, but its evolutionary origin(s) remain elusive. Here we approached this fundamental question by studying mice transgenic (Tg) for GLUD2, a human gene involved in glutamate metabolism that emerged in the hominoid and evolved concomitantly with brain expansion. We demonstrate that Tg mice express the human enzyme in hippocampal astrocytes and CA1-CA3 pyramidal neurons. LTP, evoked by theta-burst stimulation, is markedly enhanced in the CA3-CA1 synapses of Tg mice, with patch-clamp recordings from CA1 pyramidal neurons revealing increased sNMDA currents. LTP enhancement is blocked by D-lactate, implying that GLUD2 potentiates L-lactate-mediated astrocyte-neuron interaction. Dendritic spine density and synaptogenesis are increased in the hippocampus of Tg mice, which exhibit enhanced responses to sensory stimuli and improved performance on complex memory tasks. Hence, GLUD2 likely contributed to human brain evolution by enhancing synaptic plasticity and metabolic processes central to cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cleanthe Spanaki
- Department of Neurology, School of Health Sciences, University of Crete, Voutes, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
- PaGNI University Hospital of Irakleio, Neurology Department, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Kyriaki Sidiropoulou
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Voutes, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (IMBB-FORTH), Iraklion, Greece
| | - Zoe Petraki
- Department of Neurology, School of Health Sciences, University of Crete, Voutes, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Diskos
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Voutes, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (IMBB-FORTH), Iraklion, Greece
| | | | - Emmanouela Volitaki
- Department of Neurology, School of Health Sciences, University of Crete, Voutes, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Voutes, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Konstantina Mylonaki
- Department of Neurology, School of Health Sciences, University of Crete, Voutes, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Maria Savvaki
- Department of Neurology, School of Health Sciences, University of Crete, Voutes, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Andreas Plaitakis
- Department of Neurology, School of Health Sciences, University of Crete, Voutes, Iraklion, Crete, Greece
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5
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Gómez-Robles A, Nicolaou C, Smaers JB, Sherwood CC. The evolution of human altriciality and brain development in comparative context. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:133-146. [PMID: 38049480 PMCID: PMC10781642 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02253-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Human newborns are considered altricial compared with other primates because they are relatively underdeveloped at birth. However, in a broader comparative context, other mammals are more altricial than humans. It has been proposed that altricial development evolved secondarily in humans due to obstetrical or metabolic constraints, and in association with increased brain plasticity. To explore this association, we used comparative data from 140 placental mammals to measure how altriciality evolved in humans and other species. We also estimated how changes in brain size and gestation length influenced the timing of neurodevelopment during hominin evolution. Based on our data, humans show the highest evolutionary rate to become more altricial (measured as the proportion of adult brain size at birth) across all placental mammals, but this results primarily from the pronounced postnatal enlargement of brain size rather than neonatal changes. In addition, we show that only a small number of neurodevelopmental events were shifted to the postnatal period during hominin evolution, and that they were primarily related to the myelination of certain brain pathways. These results indicate that the perception of human altriciality is mostly driven by postnatal changes, and they point to a possible association between the timing of myelination and human neuroplasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Gómez-Robles
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK.
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
| | | | - Jeroen B Smaers
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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6
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St-Onge F, Javanray M, Pichet Binette A, Strikwerda-Brown C, Remz J, Spreng RN, Shafiei G, Misic B, Vachon-Presseau É, Villeneuve S. Functional connectome fingerprinting across the lifespan. Netw Neurosci 2023; 7:1206-1227. [PMID: 37781144 PMCID: PMC10473304 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Systematic changes have been observed in the functional architecture of the human brain with advancing age. However, functional connectivity (FC) is also a powerful feature to detect unique "connectome fingerprints," allowing identification of individuals among their peers. Although fingerprinting has been robustly observed in samples of young adults, the reliability of this approach has not been demonstrated across the lifespan. We applied the fingerprinting framework to the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort (n = 483 aged 18 to 89 years). We found that individuals are "fingerprintable" (i.e., identifiable) across independent functional MRI scans throughout the lifespan. We observed a U-shape distribution in the strength of "self-identifiability" (within-individual correlation across modalities), and "others-identifiability" (between-individual correlation across modalities), with a decrease from early adulthood into middle age, before improving in older age. FC edges contributing to self-identifiability were not restricted to specific brain networks and were different between individuals across the lifespan sample. Self-identifiability was additionally associated with regional brain volume. These findings indicate that individual participant-level identification is preserved across the lifespan despite the fact that its components are changing nonlinearly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric St-Onge
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
| | - Mohammadali Javanray
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
| | - Alexa Pichet Binette
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Jordana Remz
- Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
| | - R. Nathan Spreng
- Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Golia Shafiei
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Bratislav Misic
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Étienne Vachon-Presseau
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Anesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain (AECRP), McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Sylvia Villeneuve
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Research Center of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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7
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Sebenius I, Seidlitz J, Warrier V, Bethlehem RAI, Alexander-Bloch A, Mallard TT, Garcia RR, Bullmore ET, Morgan SE. Robust estimation of cortical similarity networks from brain MRI. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:1461-1471. [PMID: 37460809 PMCID: PMC10400419 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01376-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Structural similarity is a growing focus for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of connectomes. Here we propose Morphometric INverse Divergence (MIND), a new method to estimate within-subject similarity between cortical areas based on the divergence between their multivariate distributions of multiple MRI features. Compared to the prior approach of morphometric similarity networks (MSNs) on n > 11,000 scans spanning three human datasets and one macaque dataset, MIND networks were more reliable, more consistent with cortical cytoarchitectonics and symmetry and more correlated with tract-tracing measures of axonal connectivity. MIND networks derived from human T1-weighted MRI were more sensitive to age-related changes than MSNs or networks derived by tractography of diffusion-weighted MRI. Gene co-expression between cortical areas was more strongly coupled to MIND networks than to MSNs or tractography. MIND network phenotypes were also more heritable, especially edges between structurally differentiated areas. MIND network analysis provides a biologically validated lens for cortical connectomics using readily available MRI data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Sebenius
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Jakob Seidlitz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Lifespan Brain Institute, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Varun Warrier
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard A I Bethlehem
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Aaron Alexander-Bloch
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Lifespan Brain Institute, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Travis T Mallard
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rafael Romero Garcia
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS) HUVR/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla/CIBERSAM, ISCIII, Dpto. de Fisiología Médica y Biofísica, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Sarah E Morgan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
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8
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Vaill M, Kawanishi K, Varki N, Gagneux P, Varki A. Comparative physiological anthropogeny: exploring molecular underpinnings of distinctly human phenotypes. Physiol Rev 2023; 103:2171-2229. [PMID: 36603157 PMCID: PMC10151058 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00040.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogeny is a classic term encompassing transdisciplinary investigations of the origins of the human species. Comparative anthropogeny is a systematic comparison of humans and other living nonhuman hominids (so-called "great apes"), aiming to identify distinctly human features in health and disease, with the overall goal of explaining human origins. We begin with a historical perspective, briefly describing how the field progressed from the earliest evolutionary insights to the current emphasis on in-depth molecular and genomic investigations of "human-specific" biology and an increased appreciation for cultural impacts on human biology. While many such genetic differences between humans and other hominids have been revealed over the last two decades, this information remains insufficient to explain the most distinctive phenotypic traits distinguishing humans from other living hominids. Here we undertake a complementary approach of "comparative physiological anthropogeny," along the lines of the preclinical medical curriculum, i.e., beginning with anatomy and considering each physiological system and in each case considering genetic and molecular components that are relevant. What is ultimately needed is a systematic comparative approach at all levels from molecular to physiological to sociocultural, building networks of related information, drawing inferences, and generating testable hypotheses. The concluding section will touch on distinctive considerations in the study of human evolution, including the importance of gene-culture interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Vaill
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Kunio Kawanishi
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Nissi Varki
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Pascal Gagneux
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Ajit Varki
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
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9
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de Sousa AA, Beaudet A, Calvey T, Bardo A, Benoit J, Charvet CJ, Dehay C, Gómez-Robles A, Gunz P, Heuer K, van den Heuvel MP, Hurst S, Lauters P, Reed D, Salagnon M, Sherwood CC, Ströckens F, Tawane M, Todorov OS, Toro R, Wei Y. From fossils to mind. Commun Biol 2023; 6:636. [PMID: 37311857 PMCID: PMC10262152 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04803-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Fossil endocasts record features of brains from the past: size, shape, vasculature, and gyrification. These data, alongside experimental and comparative evidence, are needed to resolve questions about brain energetics, cognitive specializations, and developmental plasticity. Through the application of interdisciplinary techniques to the fossil record, paleoneurology has been leading major innovations. Neuroimaging is shedding light on fossil brain organization and behaviors. Inferences about the development and physiology of the brains of extinct species can be experimentally investigated through brain organoids and transgenic models based on ancient DNA. Phylogenetic comparative methods integrate data across species and associate genotypes to phenotypes, and brains to behaviors. Meanwhile, fossil and archeological discoveries continuously contribute new knowledge. Through cooperation, the scientific community can accelerate knowledge acquisition. Sharing digitized museum collections improves the availability of rare fossils and artifacts. Comparative neuroanatomical data are available through online databases, along with tools for their measurement and analysis. In the context of these advances, the paleoneurological record provides ample opportunity for future research. Biomedical and ecological sciences can benefit from paleoneurology's approach to understanding the mind as well as its novel research pipelines that establish connections between neuroanatomy, genes and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Évolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR 7262 CNRS & Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
- University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Tanya Calvey
- Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Ameline Bardo
- UMR 7194, CNRS-MNHN, Département Homme et Environnement, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Julien Benoit
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christine J Charvet
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Colette Dehay
- University of Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, F-69500, Bron, France
| | | | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katja Heuer
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité de Neuroanatomie Appliquée et Théorique, F-75015, Paris, France
| | | | - Shawn Hurst
- University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pascaline Lauters
- Institut royal des Sciences naturelles, Direction Opérationnelle Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Denné Reed
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Mathilde Salagnon
- CNRS, CEA, IMN, GIN, UMR 5293, Université Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- PACEA UMR 5199, CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Felix Ströckens
- C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Mirriam Tawane
- Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Orlin S Todorov
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Roberto Toro
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité de Neuroanatomie Appliquée et Théorique, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Yongbin Wei
- Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing, China
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10
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Kannampuzha S, Gopalakrishnan AV, Padinharayil H, Alappat RR, Anilkumar KV, George A, Dey A, Vellingiri B, Madhyastha H, Ganesan R, Ramesh T, Jayaraj R, Prabakaran DS. Onco-Pathogen Mediated Cancer Progression and Associated Signaling Pathways in Cancer Development. Pathogens 2023; 12:770. [PMID: 37375460 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12060770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Infection with viruses, bacteria, and parasites are thought to be the underlying cause of about 8-17% of the world's cancer burden, i.e., approximately one in every five malignancies globally is caused by an infectious pathogen. Oncogenesis is thought to be aided by eleven major pathogens. It is crucial to identify microorganisms that potentially act as human carcinogens and to understand how exposure to such pathogens occur as well as the following carcinogenic pathways they induce. Gaining knowledge in this field will give important suggestions for effective pathogen-driven cancer care, control, and, ultimately, prevention. This review will mainly focus on the major onco-pathogens and the types of cancer caused by them. It will also discuss the major pathways which, when altered, lead to the progression of these cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Kannampuzha
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore 632014, India
| | - Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore 632014, India
| | - Hafiza Padinharayil
- Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur 680596, India
| | - Reema Rose Alappat
- Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur 680596, India
- Post Graduate and Research Department of Zoology, Maharajas College, Ernakulam 682011, India
| | - Kavya V Anilkumar
- Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur 680596, India
- Post Graduate and Research Department of Zoology, Maharajas College, Ernakulam 682011, India
| | - Alex George
- Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur 680596, India
| | - Abhijit Dey
- Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata 700073, India
| | - Balachandar Vellingiri
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine/Translational Research, Department of Zoology, School of Basic Sciences, Central University of Punjab (CUPB), Bathinda 151401, India
| | - Harishkumar Madhyastha
- Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan
| | - Raja Ganesan
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Diseases, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 24252, Republic of Korea
| | - Thiyagarajan Ramesh
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 173, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rama Jayaraj
- Jindal Institute of Behavioral Sciences (JIBS), Jindal Global Institution of Eminence Deemed to Be University, Sonipat 131001, India
- Director of Clinical Sciences, Northern Territory Institute of Research and Training, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia
| | - D S Prabakaran
- Department of Radiation Oncology, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungdae-ro 1, Seowon-gu, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biotechnology, Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College, Srivilliputhur Main Road, Sivakasi 626124, India
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11
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Sakai T, Hata J, Shintaku Y, Ohta H, Sogabe K, Mori S, Miyabe-Nishiwaki T, Okano HJ, Hamada Y, Hirabayashi T, Minamimoto T, Sadato N, Okano H, Oishi K. The Japan Monkey Centre Primates Brain Imaging Repository of high-resolution postmortem magnetic resonance imaging: the second phase of the archive of digital records. Neuroimage 2023; 273:120096. [PMID: 37031828 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
A comparison of neuroanatomical features of the brain between humans and our evolutionary relatives, nonhuman primates, is key to understanding the human brain system and the neural basis of mental and neurological disorders. Although most comparative MRI studies of human and nonhuman primate brains have been based on brains of primates that had been used as subjects in experiments, it is essential to investigate various species of nonhuman primates in order to elucidate and interpret the diversity of neuroanatomy features among humans and nonhuman primates. To develop a research platform for this purpose, it is necessary to harmonize the scientific contributions of studies with the standards of animal ethics, animal welfare, and the conservation of brain information for long-term continuation of the field. In previous research, we first developed a gated data-repository of anatomical images obtained using 9.4-T ex vivo MRI of postmortem brain samples from 12 nonhuman primate species, and which are stored at the Japan Monkey Centre. In the present study, as a second phase, we released a collection of T2-weighted images and diffusion tensor images obtained in nine species: white-throated capuchin, Bolivian squirrel monkey, stump-tailed macaque, Tibet monkey, Sykes' monkey, Assamese macaque, pig-tailed macaque, crested macaque, and chimpanzee. Our image repository should facilitate scientific discoveries in the field of comparative neuroscience. This repository can also promote animal ethics and animal welfare in experiments with nonhuman primate models by optimizing methods for in vivo and ex vivo MRI scanning of brains and supporting veterinary neuroradiological education. In addition, the repository is expected to contribute to conservation, preserving information about the brains of various primates, including endangered species, in a permanent digital form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko Sakai
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan; Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Junichi Hata
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; Graduate School of Human Health Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan; RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Yuta Shintaku
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hiroki Ohta
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazumi Sogabe
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Radiological Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Susumu Mori
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kenney Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Takako Miyabe-Nishiwaki
- Center for Model Human Evolution Research, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hirotaka James Okano
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuzuru Hamada
- Center for Model Human Evolution Research, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Hirabayashi
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takafumi Minamimoto
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
| | - Norihiro Sadato
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Okano
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kenichi Oishi
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan
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12
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Cofran Z, Hurst S, Beaudet A, Zipfel B. An overlooked Australopithecus brain endocast from Makapansgat, South Africa. J Hum Evol 2023; 178:103346. [PMID: 36958187 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Cofran
- Anthropology Department, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA; Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Shawn Hurst
- Department of Biology, University of Indianapolis, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK; School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, South Africa; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Calle de les Columnes, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bernhard Zipfel
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, South Africa
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13
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Hopkins WD, Coulon O, Meguerditchian A, Staes N, Sherwood CC, Schapiro SJ, Mangin JF, Bradley B. Genetic determinants of individual variation in the superior temporal sulcus of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:1925-1940. [PMID: 35697647 PMCID: PMC9977371 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior temporal sulcus (STS) is a conserved fold that divides the middle and superior temporal gyri. In humans, there is considerable variation in the shape, folding pattern, lateralization, and depth of the STS that have been reported to be associated with social cognition and linguistic functions. We examined the role that genetic factors play on individual variation in STS morphology in chimpanzees. The surface area and depth of the STS were quantified in sample of 292 captive chimpanzees comprised of two genetically isolated population of individuals. The chimpanzees had been previously genotyped for AVPR1A and KIAA0319, two genes that play a role in social cognition and communication in humans. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the KIAA0319 and AVPR1A genes were associated with average depth as well as asymmetries in the STS. By contrast, we found no significant effects of these KIA0319 and AVPR1A polymorphism on surface area and depth measures for the central sulcus. The overall findings indicate that genetic factors account for a small to moderate amount of variation in STS morphology in chimpanzees. These findings are discussed in the context of the role of the STS in social cognition and language in humans and their potential evolutionary origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX 78602, USA
- IMéRA – Institut d’Etudes Avancées, Aix-Marseille Universite, Marseille 13004, France
- Institute of Language, Communication and The Brain, Aix-Marseille Universite, CNRS, Aix-en-Provence 13604, France
| | - Oliver Coulon
- Institute of Language, Communication and The Brain, Aix-Marseille Universite, CNRS, Aix-en-Provence 13604, France
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences de La Timone, UMR7289, Marseille 13284, France
| | - Adrien Meguerditchian
- Institute of Language, Communication and The Brain, Aix-Marseille Universite, CNRS, Aix-en-Provence 13604, France
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR 7290, LPC, Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, Marseille 13284, France
| | - Nicky Staes
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Steven J Schapiro
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX 78602, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200N, Denmark
| | | | - Brenda Bradley
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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14
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Benson NC, Yoon JMD, Forenzo D, Engel SA, Kay KN, Winawer J. Variability of the Surface Area of the V1, V2, and V3 Maps in a Large Sample of Human Observers. J Neurosci 2022; 42:8629-8646. [PMID: 36180226 PMCID: PMC9671582 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0690-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
How variable is the functionally defined structure of early visual areas in human cortex and how much variability is shared between twins? Here we quantify individual differences in the best understood functionally defined regions of cortex: V1, V2, V3. The Human Connectome Project 7T Retinotopy Dataset includes retinotopic measurements from 181 subjects (109 female, 72 male), including many twins. We trained four "anatomists" to manually define V1-V3 using retinotopic features. These definitions were more accurate than automated anatomical templates and showed that surface areas for these maps varied more than threefold across individuals. This threefold variation was little changed when normalizing visual area size by the surface area of the entire cerebral cortex. In addition to varying in size, we find that visual areas vary in how they sample the visual field. Specifically, the cortical magnification function differed substantially among individuals, with the relative amount of cortex devoted to central vision varying by more than a factor of 2. To complement the variability analysis, we examined the similarity of visual area size and structure across twins. Whereas the twin sample sizes are too small to make precise heritability estimates (50 monozygotic pairs, 34 dizygotic pairs), they nonetheless reveal high correlations, consistent with strong effects of the combination of shared genes and environment on visual area size. Collectively, these results provide the most comprehensive account of individual variability in visual area structure to date, and provide a robust population benchmark against which new individuals and developmental and clinical populations can be compared.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Areas V1, V2, and V3 are among the best studied functionally defined regions in human cortex. Using the largest retinotopy dataset to date, we characterized the variability of these regions across individuals and the similarity between twin pairs. We find that the size of visual areas varies dramatically (up to 3.5×) across healthy young adults, far more than the variability of the cerebral cortex size as a whole. Much of this variability appears to arise from inherited factors, as we find very high correlations in visual area size between monozygotic twin pairs, and lower but still substantial correlations between dizygotic twin pairs. These results provide the most comprehensive assessment of how functionally defined visual cortex varies across the population to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah C Benson
- eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Jennifer M D Yoon
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003
- Center for Neural Sciences, New York University, New York, New York 10003
| | - Dylan Forenzo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
| | - Stephen A Engel
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
| | - Kendrick N Kay
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
| | - Jonathan Winawer
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003
- Center for Neural Sciences, New York University, New York, New York 10003
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15
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Schreiber WB, Robinson-Drummer PA. Opportunities to Discuss Diversity-Related Topics in Neuroscience Courses. JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE NEUROSCIENCE EDUCATION : JUNE : A PUBLICATION OF FUN, FACULTY FOR UNDERGRADUATE NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 20:A361-A375. [PMID: 39036724 PMCID: PMC11256382 DOI: 10.59390/aoin4016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Diversity is a foundational topic in psychology, and APA recommends that diversity is covered across the psychology curriculum. Neuroscience courses face challenges with incorporating diversity-related topics owing to the historical lack of neuroscience research that focuses on diversity and the restricted range of diversity-related topics that neuroscience is typically associated with (i.e., health and disability status). This may limit students' learning of neuroscience's contributions towards understanding diversity. We review some specific examples of diversity-related topics that can be incorporated into neuroscience courses. These examples have been selected to include topics across the three major content domains of neuroscience (cellular/molecular, neuroanatomy/systems, and cognitive/behavioral), as well as across multiple diversity-related topics. Neuroscience instructors can use these examples to incorporate greater coverage of diversity-related topics within their courses and/or as points of inspiration for their own curricular additions. Providing systematic coverage of diversity-related topics in neuroscience courses highlights the ways neuroscience advances our understanding of human diversity and contributes to the educational objectives of psychology and neuroscience programs.
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16
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Hopkins WD. Neuroanatomical asymmetries in nonhuman primates in the homologs to Broca's and Wernicke's areas: a mini-review. Emerg Top Life Sci 2022; 6:ETLS20210279. [PMID: 36073786 PMCID: PMC9472819 DOI: 10.1042/etls20210279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Population-level lateralization in structure and function is a fundamental measure of the human nervous system. To what extent nonhuman primates exhibit similar patterns of asymmetry remains a topic of considerable scientific interest. In this mini-review, a brief summary of findings on brain asymmetries in nonhuman primates in brain regions considered to the homolog's to Broca's and Wernicke's area are presented. Limitations of existing and directions for future studies are discussed in the context of facilitating comparative investigations in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D. Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, M D Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX 78602, U.S.A
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17
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Miller JA, Weiner KS. Unfolding the evolution of human cognition. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:735-737. [PMID: 35909020 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Recent findings spanning fields, from braincases in paleoneurobiology to invivo measurements in cognitive neuroscience, provide insights into the evolution of cognition. Here, we integrate these findings and propose that studying small, evolutionarily new cortical structures has significant implications for identifying new links between neuroanatomical substrates and human-specific aspects of cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Miller
- Wu Tsai Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kevin S Weiner
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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18
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de Jager EJ, Risser L, Mescam M, Fonta C, Beaudet A. Sulci 3D mapping from human cranial endocasts: A powerful tool to study hominin brain evolution. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4433-4443. [PMID: 35661328 PMCID: PMC9435008 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Key questions in paleoneurology concern the timing and emergence of derived cerebral features within the human lineage. Endocasts are replicas of the internal table of the bony braincase that are widely used in paleoneurology as a proxy for reconstructing a timeline for hominin brain evolution in the fossil record. The accurate identification of cerebral sulci imprints in endocasts is critical for assessing the topographic extension and structural organisation of cortical regions in fossil hominins. High‐resolution imaging techniques combined with established methods based on population‐specific brain atlases offer new opportunities for tracking detailed endocranial characteristics. This study provides the first documentation of sulcal pattern imprints from the superolateral surface of the cerebrum using a population‐based atlas technique on extant human endocasts. Human crania from the Pretoria Bone Collection (South Africa) were scanned using micro‐CT. Endocasts were virtually extracted, and sulci were automatically detected and manually labelled. A density map method was applied to project all the labels onto an averaged endocast to visualise the mean distribution of each identified sulcal imprint. This method allowed for the visualisation of inter‐individual variation of sulcal imprints, for example, frontal lobe sulci, correlating with previous brain‐MRI studies and for the first time the extensive overlapping of imprints in historically debated areas of the endocast (e.g. occipital lobe). In providing an innovative, non‐invasive, observer‐independent method to investigate human endocranial structural organisation, our analytical protocol introduces a promising perspective for future research in paleoneurology and for discussing critical hypotheses on the evolution of cognitive abilities among hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin John de Jager
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Laurent Risser
- Institute de Mathématiques de Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Muriel Mescam
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition (CerCo), CNRS, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Caroline Fonta
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition (CerCo), CNRS, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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19
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Mulholland MM, Schapiro SJ, Sherwood CC, Hopkins WD. Phenotypic and genetic associations between gray matter covariation and tool use skill in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Repeatability in two genetically isolated populations. Neuroimage 2022; 257:119292. [PMID: 35551989 PMCID: PMC9351395 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans and chimpanzees both exhibit a diverse set of tool use skills which suggests selection for tool manufacture and use occurred in the common ancestors of the two species. Our group has previously reported phenotypic and genetic associations between tool use skill and gray matter covariation, as quantified by source-based morphometry (SBM), in chimpanzees. As a follow up study, here we evaluated repeatability in heritability in SBM components and their phenotypic association with tool use skill in two genetically independent chimpanzee cohorts. Within the two independent cohorts of chimpanzees, we identified 8 and 16 SBM components, respectively. Significant heritability was evident for multiple SBM components within both cohorts. Further, phenotypic associations between tool use performance and the SBM components were largely consistent between the two cohorts; the most consistent finding being an association between tool use performance and an SBM component including the posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) and superior temporal gyrus (STG), and the interior and superior parietal regions (p< 0.05). These findings indicate that the STS, STG, and parietal cortices are phenotypically and genetically implicated in chimpanzee tool use abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Mulholland
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 650 Cool Water Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602, USA.
| | - S J Schapiro
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 650 Cool Water Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602, USA; Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - C C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - W D Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 650 Cool Water Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602, USA
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20
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Kovács I, Kovács K, Gerván P, Utczás K, Oláh G, Tróznai Z, Berencsi A, Szakács H, Gombos F. Ultrasonic bone age fractionates cognitive abilities in adolescence. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5311. [PMID: 35351941 PMCID: PMC8964807 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09329-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescent development is not only shaped by the mere passing of time and accumulating experience, but it also depends on pubertal timing and the cascade of maturational processes orchestrated by gonadal hormones. Although individual variability in puberty onset confounds adolescent studies, it has not been efficiently controlled for. Here we introduce ultrasonic bone age assessment to estimate biological maturity and disentangle the independent effects of chronological and biological age on adolescent cognitive abilities. Comparing cognitive performance of female participants with different skeletal maturity we uncover the impact of biological age on both IQ and specific abilities. We find that biological age has a selective effect on abilities: more mature individuals within the same age group have higher working memory capacity and processing speed, while those with higher chronological age have better verbal abilities, independently of their maturity. Based on our findings, bone age is a promising biomarker of adolescent maturity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Kovács
- Laboratory for Psychological Research, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1 Mikszáth sq., 1088, Budapest, Hungary. .,Adolescent Development Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1088, Budapest, Hungary. .,Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Res. Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Kristóf Kovács
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, 1075, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Patrícia Gerván
- Laboratory for Psychological Research, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1 Mikszáth sq., 1088, Budapest, Hungary.,Adolescent Development Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1088, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katinka Utczás
- Research Centre for Sport Physiology, University of Physical Education, 1123, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gyöngyi Oláh
- Laboratory for Psychological Research, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1 Mikszáth sq., 1088, Budapest, Hungary.,Adolescent Development Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1088, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsófia Tróznai
- Research Centre for Sport Physiology, University of Physical Education, 1123, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andrea Berencsi
- Institute for the Methodology of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation, Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs Education, Eötvös Loránd University, 1097, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Hanna Szakács
- Laboratory for Psychological Research, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1 Mikszáth sq., 1088, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Gombos
- Laboratory for Psychological Research, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1 Mikszáth sq., 1088, Budapest, Hungary.,Adolescent Development Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Pázmány Péter Catholic University, 1088, Budapest, Hungary
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21
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Hopkins WD, Westerhausen R, Schapiro S, Sherwood CC. Heritability in corpus callosum morphology and its association with tool use skill in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Reproducibility in two genetically isolated populations. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12784. [PMID: 35044083 PMCID: PMC8830772 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The corpus callosum (CC) is the major white matter tract connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres. It has been hypothesized that individual variation in CC morphology is negatively associated with forebrain volume (FBV) and this accounts for variation in behavioral and brain asymmetries as well as sex differences. To test this hypothesis, CC surface area and thickness as well as FBV was quantified in 221 chimpanzees with known pedigrees. CC surface area, thickness and FBV were significantly heritable and phenotypically associated with each other; however, no significant genetic association was found between FBV, CC surface area and thickness. The CC surface area and thickness measures were also found to be significantly heritable in both chimpanzee cohorts as were phenotypic associations with variation in asymmetries in tool use skill, suggesting that these findings are reproducible. Finally, significant phenotypic and genetic associations were found between hand use skill and region-specific variation in CC surface area and thickness. These findings suggest that common genes may underlie individual differences in chimpanzee tool use skill and interhemispheric connectivity as manifest by variation in surface area and thickness within the anterior region of the CC.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D. Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michael E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and ResearchUniversity of Texas M D Anderson Cancer CenterBastropTexasUSA
| | | | - Steve Schapiro
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michael E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and ResearchUniversity of Texas M D Anderson Cancer CenterBastropTexasUSA
- Department of Experimental MedicineUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human PaleobiologyThe George Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
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22
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Alternative female and male developmental trajectories in the dynamic balance of human visual perception. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1674. [PMID: 35102227 PMCID: PMC8803928 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The numerous multistable phenomena in vision, hearing and touch attest that the inner workings of perception are prone to instability. We investigated a visual example-binocular rivalry-with an accurate no-report paradigm, and uncovered developmental and maturational lifespan trajectories that were specific for age and sex. To interpret these trajectories, we hypothesized that conflicting objectives of visual perception-such as stability of appearance, sensitivity to visual detail, and exploration of fundamental alternatives-change in relative importance over the lifespan. Computational modelling of our empirical results allowed us to estimate this putative development of stability, sensitivity, and exploration over the lifespan. Our results confirmed prior findings of developmental psychology and appear to quantify important aspects of neurocognitive phenotype. Additionally, we report atypical function of binocular rivalry in autism spectrum disorder and borderline personality disorder. Our computational approach offers new ways of quantifying neurocognitive phenotypes both in development and in dysfunction.
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23
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Wang Y, Zhao B, Choi J, Lee EA. Genomic approaches to trace the history of human brain evolution with an emerging opportunity for transposon profiling of ancient humans. Mob DNA 2021; 12:22. [PMID: 34663455 PMCID: PMC8525043 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-021-00250-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) significantly contribute to shaping the diversity of the human genome, and lines of evidence suggest TEs as one of driving forces of human brain evolution. Existing computational approaches, including cross-species comparative genomics and population genetic modeling, can be adapted for the study of the role of TEs in evolution. In particular, diverse ancient and archaic human genome sequences are increasingly available, allowing reconstruction of past human migration events and holding the promise of identifying and tracking TEs among other evolutionarily important genetic variants at an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. However, highly degraded short DNA templates and other unique challenges presented by ancient human DNA call for major changes in current experimental and computational procedures to enable the identification of evolutionarily important TEs. Ancient human genomes are valuable resources for investigating TEs in the evolutionary context, and efforts to explore ancient human genomes will potentially provide a novel perspective on the genetic mechanism of human brain evolution and inspire a variety of technological and methodological advances. In this review, we summarize computational and experimental approaches that can be adapted to identify and validate evolutionarily important TEs, especially for human brain evolution. We also highlight strategies that leverage ancient genomic data and discuss unique challenges in ancient transposon genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilan Wang
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Boxun Zhao
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jaejoon Choi
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eunjung Alice Lee
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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24
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Colby AE, Kimock CM, Higham JP. Endocranial volume is variable and heritable, but not related to fitness, in a free-ranging primate. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4235. [PMID: 33608572 PMCID: PMC7895985 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81265-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Large relative brain size is a defining characteristic of the order Primates. Arguably, this can be attributed to selection for behavioral aptitudes linked to a larger brain size. In order for selection of a trait to occur, the trait must vary, that variation must be heritable, and enhance fitness. In this study, we use a quantitative genetic approach to investigate the production and maintenance of variation in endocranial volume in a population of free-ranging rhesus macaques. We measured the endocranial volume and body mass proxies of 542 rhesus macaques from Cayo Santiago. We investigated variation in endocranial volume within and between sexes. Using a genetic pedigree, we estimated heritability of absolute and relative endocranial volume, and selection gradients of both traits as well as estimated body mass in the sample. Within this population, both absolute and relative endocranial volume display variation and sexual dimorphism. Both absolute and relative endocranial volume are highly heritable, but we found no evidence of selection on absolute or relative endocranial volume. These findings suggest that endocranial volume is not undergoing selection, or that we did not detect it because selection is neither linear nor quadratic, or that we lacked sufficient sample sizes to detect it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail E Colby
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Clare M Kimock
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
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25
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Weisbecker V, Rowe T, Wroe S, Macrini TE, Garland KLS, Travouillon KJ, Black K, Archer M, Hand SJ, Berlin JC, Beck RMD, Ladevèze S, Sharp AC, Mardon K, Sherratt E. Global elongation and high shape flexibility as an evolutionary hypothesis of accommodating mammalian brains into skulls. Evolution 2021; 75:625-640. [PMID: 33483947 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about how the large brains of mammals are accommodated into the dazzling diversity of their skulls. It has been suggested that brain shape is influenced by relative brain size, that it evolves or develops according to extrinsic or intrinsic mechanical constraints, and that its shape can provide insights into its proportions and function. Here, we characterize the shape variation among 84 marsupial cranial endocasts of 57 species including fossils, using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and virtual dissections. Statistical shape analysis revealed four main patterns: over half of endocast shape variation ranges from elongate and straight to globular and inclined; little allometric variation with respect to centroid size, and none for relative volume; no association between locomotion and endocast shape; limited association between endocast shape and previously published histological cortex volumes. Fossil species tend to have smaller cerebral hemispheres. We find divergent endocast shapes in closely related species and within species, and diverse morphologies superimposed over the main variation. An evolutionarily and individually malleable brain with a fundamental tendency to arrange into a spectrum of elongate-to-globular shapes-possibly mostly independent of brain function-may explain the accommodation of brains within the enormous diversity of mammalian skull form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Weisbecker
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Timothy Rowe
- Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Stephen Wroe
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Thomas E Macrini
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas, 78228
| | | | - Kenny J Travouillon
- Collections and Research, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool, WA, 6986, Australia
| | - Karen Black
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Center, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Michael Archer
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Center, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Suzanne J Hand
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Center, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jeri C Berlin
- Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Robin M D Beck
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, United Kingdom
| | - Sandrine Ladevèze
- CR2P UMR 7207, CNRS/MNHN/Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, F-75005, France
| | - Alana C Sharp
- Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L7 8TX, United Kingdom
| | - Karine Mardon
- Centre of Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Emma Sherratt
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
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26
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Gualtieri CT. Genomic Variation, Evolvability, and the Paradox of Mental Illness. Front Psychiatry 2021; 11:593233. [PMID: 33551865 PMCID: PMC7859268 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.593233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Twentieth-century genetics was hard put to explain the irregular behavior of neuropsychiatric disorders. Autism and schizophrenia defy a principle of natural selection; they are highly heritable but associated with low reproductive success. Nevertheless, they persist. The genetic origins of such conditions are confounded by the problem of variable expression, that is, when a given genetic aberration can lead to any one of several distinct disorders. Also, autism and schizophrenia occur on a spectrum of severity, from mild and subclinical cases to the overt and disabling. Such irregularities reflect the problem of missing heritability; although hundreds of genes may be associated with autism or schizophrenia, together they account for only a small proportion of cases. Techniques for higher resolution, genomewide analysis have begun to illuminate the irregular and unpredictable behavior of the human genome. Thus, the origins of neuropsychiatric disorders in particular and complex disease in general have been illuminated. The human genome is characterized by a high degree of structural and behavioral variability: DNA content variation, epistasis, stochasticity in gene expression, and epigenetic changes. These elements have grown more complex as evolution scaled the phylogenetic tree. They are especially pertinent to brain development and function. Genomic variability is a window on the origins of complex disease, neuropsychiatric disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders in particular. Genomic variability, as it happens, is also the fuel of evolvability. The genomic events that presided over the evolution of the primate and hominid lineages are over-represented in patients with autism and schizophrenia, as well as intellectual disability and epilepsy. That the special qualities of the human genome that drove evolution might, in some way, contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders is a matter of no little interest.
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27
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Tymofiyeva O, Gaschler R. Training-Induced Neural Plasticity in Youth: A Systematic Review of Structural and Functional MRI Studies. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 14:497245. [PMID: 33536885 PMCID: PMC7848153 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.497245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Experience-dependent neural plasticity is high in the developing brain, presenting a unique window of opportunity for training. To optimize existing training programs and develop new interventions, it is important to understand what processes take place in the developing brain during training. Here, we systematically review MRI-based evidence of training-induced neural plasticity in children and adolescents. A total of 71 articles were included in the review. Significant changes in brain activation, structure, microstructure, and structural and functional connectivity were reported with different types of trainings in the majority (87%) of the studies. Significant correlation of performance improvement with neural changes was reported in 51% of the studies. Yet, only 48% of the studies had a control condition. Overall, the review supports the hypothesized neural changes with training while at the same time charting empirical and methodological desiderata for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Tymofiyeva
- Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Psychology, University of Hagen, Hagen, Germany
| | - Robert Gaschler
- Department of Psychology, University of Hagen, Hagen, Germany
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28
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Hecht EE, Reilly OT, Benítez ME, Phillips KA, Brosnan SF. Sex differences in the brains of capuchin monkeys (Sapajus [Cebus] apella). J Comp Neurol 2020; 529:327-339. [PMID: 32410227 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
This study reports an analysis of 20 T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans from tufted capuchin monkeys (5 male, 15 female). We carried out a data-driven, whole-brain volumetric analysis on regional gray matter anatomy using voxel-based morphometry. This revealed that males showed statistically significant expansion of a region of the hypothalamus, while females showed significant expansion in a distributed set of regions, including the cerebellum, early visual cortex, and higher-order visual regions spanning occipital and temporal cortex. In order to elucidate the network connectivity of these regions, we employed probabilistic tractography on diffusion tensor imaging data. This showed that the female-enlarged regions connect with distributed association networks across the brain. Notably, this contrasts with rodent studies, where sex differences are focused in deep, ancestral limbic regions involved in the control of reproductive behavior. Additionally, in our data set, for several regions, male and female volumetric measures were completely nonoverlapping. This contrasts with human studies, where sex differences in cortical regions have been reported but are characterized by overlapping rather than divergent male and female values. We suggest that these results can be understood in the context of the different lifetime experiences of males and females, which may produce increased experience-dependent cortical plasticity in capuchins compared to rodents, and in humans compared to capuchins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Hecht
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Olivia T Reilly
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Marcela E Benítez
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kimberley A Phillips
- Department of Psychology, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, USA.,Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Sarah F Brosnan
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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29
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Diederich NJ, Uchihara T, Grillner S, Goetz CG. The Evolution-Driven Signature of Parkinson's Disease. Trends Neurosci 2020; 43:475-492. [PMID: 32499047 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2020.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we approach Parkinson's disease (PD) in the context of an evolutionary mismatch of central nervous system functions. The neurons at risk have hyperbranched axons, extensive transmitter release sites, display spontaneous spiking, and elevated mitochondrial stress. They function in networks largely unchanged throughout vertebrate evolution, but now connecting to the expanded human cortex. Their breakdown is favoured by longevity. At the cellular level, mitochondrial dysfunction starts at the synapses, then involves axons and cell bodies. At the behavioural level, network dysfunctions provoke the core motor syndrome of parkinsonism including freezing and failed gait automatization, and non-motor deficits including inactive blindsight and autonomic dysregulation. The proposed evolutionary re-interpretation of PD-prone cellular phenotypes and of prototypical clinical symptoms allows a new conceptual framework for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico J Diederich
- Department of Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, L-1210 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
| | - Toshiki Uchihara
- Neurology Clinic with Neuromorphomics Laboratory, Nitobe-Memorial Nakano General Hospital, Tokyo 164-8607, Japan; Department of Neurology and Neurological Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan
| | - Sten Grillner
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christopher G Goetz
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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30
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DeCasien AR, Sherwood CC, Schapiro SJ, Higham JP. Greater variability in chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes) brain structure among males. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192858. [PMID: 32315585 PMCID: PMC7211446 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, males tend to exhibit more behavioural and morphological variability than females, consistent with the 'greater male variability hypothesis'. This may reflect multiple mechanisms operating at different levels, including selective mechanisms that produce and maintain variation, extended male development, and X chromosome effects. Interestingly, human neuroanatomy shows greater male variability, but this pattern has not been demonstrated in any other species. To address this issue, we investigated sex-specific neuroanatomical variability in chimpanzees by examining relative and absolute surface areas of 23 cortical sulci across 226 individuals (135F/91M), using permutation tests of the male-to-female variance ratio of residuals from MCMC generalized linear mixed models controlling for relatedness. We used these models to estimate sulcal size heritability, simulations to assess the significance of heritability, and Pearson correlations to examine inter-sulcal correlations. Our results show that: (i) male brain structure is relatively more variable; (ii) sulcal surface areas are heritable and therefore potentially subject to selection; (iii) males exhibit lower heritability values, possibly reflecting longer development; and (iv) males exhibit stronger inter-sulcal correlations, providing indirect support for sex chromosome effects. These results provide evidence that greater male neuroanatomical variability extends beyond humans, and suggest both evolutionary and developmental explanations for this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex R. DeCasien
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Steven J. Schapiro
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, The University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
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31
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Bauernfeind AL, Babbitt CC. Metabolic changes in human brain evolution. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:201-211. [PMID: 32329960 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Because the human brain is considerably larger than those of other primates, it is not surprising that its energy requirements would far exceed that of any of the species within the order. Recently, the development of stem cell technologies and single-cell transcriptomics provides novel ways to address the question of what specific genomic changes underlie the human brain's unique phenotype. In this review, we consider what is currently known about human brain metabolism using a variety of methods from brain imaging and stereology to transcriptomics. Next, we examine novel opportunities that stem cell technologies and single-cell transcriptomics provide to further our knowledge of human brain energetics. These new experimental approaches provide the ability to elucidate the functional effects of changes in genetic sequence and expression levels that potentially had a profound impact on the evolution of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Bauernfeind
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Courtney C Babbitt
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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32
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Gunz P, Neubauer S, Falk D, Tafforeau P, Le Cabec A, Smith TM, Kimbel WH, Spoor F, Alemseged Z. Australopithecus afarensis endocasts suggest ape-like brain organization and prolonged brain growth. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz4729. [PMID: 32270044 PMCID: PMC7112758 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz4729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Human brains are three times larger, are organized differently, and mature for a longer period of time than those of our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees. Together, these characteristics are important for human cognition and social behavior, but their evolutionary origins remain unclear. To study brain growth and organization in the hominin species Australopithecus afarensis more than 3 million years ago, we scanned eight fossil crania using conventional and synchrotron computed tomography. We inferred key features of brain organization from endocranial imprints and explored the pattern of brain growth by combining new endocranial volume estimates with narrow age at death estimates for two infants. Contrary to previous claims, sulcal imprints reveal an ape-like brain organization and no features derived toward humans. A comparison of infant to adult endocranial volumes indicates protracted brain growth in A. afarensis, likely critical for the evolution of a long period of childhood learning in hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Corresponding author.
| | - Simon Neubauer
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Dean Falk
- Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA
- School for Advanced Research, 660 Garcia St., Santa Fe, NM 87505, USA
| | - Paul Tafforeau
- European Synchotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS-40220, F-38043, Grenoble cedex 09, France
| | - Adeline Le Cabec
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- European Synchotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS-40220, F-38043, Grenoble cedex 09, France
| | - Tanya M. Smith
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Rd., Nathan 4111, Queensland, Australia
| | - William H. Kimbel
- Institute of Human Origins, and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Fred Spoor
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Anthropology, UCL, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Zeresenay Alemseged
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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33
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Alexander-Bloch AF, Raznahan A, Vandekar SN, Seidlitz J, Lu Z, Mathias SR, Knowles E, Mollon J, Rodrigue A, Curran JE, Görring HHH, Satterthwaite TD, Gur RE, Bassett DS, Hoftman GD, Pearlson G, Shinohara RT, Liu S, Fox PT, Almasy L, Blangero J, Glahn DC. Imaging local genetic influences on cortical folding. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:7430-7436. [PMID: 32170019 PMCID: PMC7132284 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1912064117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent progress in deciphering mechanisms of human brain cortical folding leave unexplained whether spatially patterned genetic influences contribute to this folding. High-resolution in vivo brain MRI can be used to estimate genetic correlations (covariability due to shared genetic factors) in interregional cortical thickness, and biomechanical studies predict an influence of cortical thickness on folding patterns. However, progress has been hampered because shared genetic influences related to folding patterns likely operate at a scale that is much more local (<1 cm) than that addressed in prior imaging studies. Here, we develop methodological approaches to examine local genetic influences on cortical thickness and apply these methods to two large, independent samples. We find that such influences are markedly heterogeneous in strength, and in some cortical areas are notably stronger in specific orientations relative to gyri or sulci. The overall, phenotypic local correlation has a significant basis in shared genetic factors and is highly symmetric between left and right cortical hemispheres. Furthermore, the degree of local cortical folding relates systematically with the strength of local correlations, which tends to be higher in gyral crests and lower in sulcal fundi. The relationship between folding and local correlations is stronger in primary sensorimotor areas and weaker in association areas such as prefrontal cortex, consistent with reduced genetic constraints on the structural topology of association cortex. Collectively, our results suggest that patterned genetic influences on cortical thickness, measurable at the scale of in vivo MRI, may be a causal factor in the development of cortical folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron F Alexander-Bloch
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104;
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | | | - Simon N Vandekar
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203
| | - Jakob Seidlitz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Zhixin Lu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Samuel R Mathias
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Emma Knowles
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Josephine Mollon
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Amanda Rodrigue
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Joanne E Curran
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520
| | - Harald H H Görring
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520
| | | | - Raquel E Gur
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Danielle S Bassett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Gil D Hoftman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Godfrey Pearlson
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
- Olin Neuropsychiatric Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford, CT 06102
| | - Russell T Shinohara
- Penn Statistics in Imaging and Visualization Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Center for Biomedical Image Computing and Analytics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Siyuan Liu
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Peter T Fox
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520
| | - Laura Almasy
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - John Blangero
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520
- South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520
| | - David C Glahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Olin Neuropsychiatric Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford, CT 06102
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Spano G, Giannico V, Elia M, Bosco A, Lafortezza R, Sanesi G. Human Health-Environment Interaction Science: An emerging research paradigm. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 704:135358. [PMID: 31780154 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
During recent decades, the growing interactions between human well-being and the environment have led to the development of new research paradigms. A number of disciplines have recognized the importance of the human-environment relationship in all aspects of human life from an economic, ecological, social and political perspective. In conformity with this trend, we conducted a bibliometric review of scientific publications on the interactions between two main research domains: human-centered and environmental-centered sciences. The aim is to provide a temporal and spatial perspective on how these research domains have paired up and co-evolved along a common pathway towards a new research paradigm, named Human Health-Environment Interaction Science (HHEIS). Our results revealed a constant growth over time in the scientific production concerning HHEIS. The network and cluster analyses showed a progressive overlapping of keywords among studies published in environmental and human health journals to a match of principal keywords. As a statistical indicator of this trend, the similarity index showed an increase in the number of keywords for both research domains. In terms of country productivity, the US, UK and China are in the lead, while EU countries are the most interconnected. Our review demonstrates the existence of HEIS as a comprehensive paradigm encompassing research findings with implications for human and environmental interaction. An overview of the history of HHEIS and the implications of current EU research-funding initiatives have been provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppina Spano
- Department of Agro-Environmental and Territorial Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, Bari 70126, Italy; Department of Education Science, Psychology, Communication Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Crisanzio, 42, Bari 70122, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Giannico
- Department of Agro-Environmental and Territorial Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, Bari 70126, Italy.
| | - Mario Elia
- Department of Agro-Environmental and Territorial Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, Bari 70126, Italy
| | - Andrea Bosco
- Department of Education Science, Psychology, Communication Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Crisanzio, 42, Bari 70122, Italy
| | - Raffaele Lafortezza
- Department of Agro-Environmental and Territorial Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, Bari 70126, Italy; Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Centennial Campus, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
| | - Giovanni Sanesi
- Department of Agro-Environmental and Territorial Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, Bari 70126, Italy
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Neubauer S, Gunz P, Scott NA, Hublin JJ, Mitteroecker P. Evolution of brain lateralization: A shared hominid pattern of endocranial asymmetry is much more variable in humans than in great apes. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaax9935. [PMID: 32110727 PMCID: PMC7021492 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax9935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Brain lateralization is commonly interpreted as crucial for human brain function and cognition. However, as comparative studies among primates are rare, it is not known which aspects of lateralization are really uniquely human. Here, we quantify both pattern and magnitude of brain shape asymmetry based on endocranial imprints of the braincase in humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Like previous studies, we found that humans were more asymmetric than chimpanzees, however so were gorillas and orangutans, highlighting the need to broaden the comparative framework for interpretation. We found that the average spatial asymmetry pattern, previously considered to be uniquely human, was shared among humans and apes. In humans, however, it was less directed, and different local asymmetries were less correlated. We, thus, found human asymmetry to be much more variable compared with that of apes. These findings likely reflect increased functional and developmental modularization of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Neubauer
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nadia A. Scott
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
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Alatorre Warren JL, Ponce de León MS, Hopkins WD, Zollikofer CPE. Evidence for independent brain and neurocranial reorganization during hominin evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:22115-22121. [PMID: 31611399 PMCID: PMC6825280 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1905071116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout hominin evolution, the brain of our ancestors underwent a 3-fold increase in size and substantial structural reorganization. However, inferring brain reorganization from fossil hominin neurocrania (=braincases) remains a challenge, above all because comparative data relating brain to neurocranial structures in living humans and great apes are still scarce. Here we use MRI and same-subject spatially aligned computed tomography (CT) and MRI data of humans and chimpanzees to quantify the spatial relationships between these structures, both within and across species. Results indicate that evolutionary changes in brain and neurocranial structures are largely independent of each other. The brains of humans compared to chimpanzees exhibit a characteristic posterior shift of the inferior pre- and postcentral gyri, indicative of reorganization of the frontal opercular region. Changes in human neurocranial structure do not reflect cortical reorganization. Rather, they reflect constraints related to increased encephalization and obligate bipedalism, resulting in relative enlargement of the parietal bones and anterior displacement of the cerebellar fossa. This implies that the relative position and size of neurocranial bones, as well as overall endocranial shape (e.g., globularity), should not be used to make inferences about evolutionary changes in the relative size or reorganization of adjacent cortical regions of fossil hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - William D Hopkins
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302
- Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA 30322
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Lehmann N, Tolentino‐Castro JW, Kaminski E, Ragert P, Villringer A, Taubert M. Interindividual differences in gray and white matter properties are associated with early complex motor skill acquisition. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:4316-4330. [PMID: 31264300 PMCID: PMC6865641 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain circuits mediate but also constrain experience-induced plasticity and corresponding behavioral changes. Here we tested whether interindividual behavioral differences in learning a challenging new motor skill correlate with variations in brain anatomy. Young, healthy participants were scanned using structural magnetic resonance imaging (T1-weighted MPRAGE, n = 75 and/or diffusion-weighted MRI, n = 59) and practiced a complex whole-body balancing task on a seesaw-like platform. Using conjunction tests based on the nonparametric combination (NPC) methodology, we found that gray matter volume (GMV) in the right orbitrofrontal cortex was positively related to the subjects' initial level of proficiency and their ability to improve performance during practice. Similarly, we obtained a strong trend toward a positive correlation between baseline fractional anisotropy (FA) in commissural prefrontal fiber pathways and later motor learning. FA results were influenced more strongly by radial than axial diffusivity. However, we did not find unique anatomical correlates of initial performance and learning to rate. Our findings reveal structural predispositions for successful motor skill performance and acquisition in frontal brain structures and underlying frontal white matter tracts. Together with previous results, these findings support the view that structural constraints imposed by the brain determine subsequent behavioral success and underline the importance of structural brain network constitution before learning starts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Lehmann
- Department of NeurologyMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Movement and Sport Sciences, Department of MedicineUniversity of FribourgFribourgSwitzerland
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Institute III, Department of Sport ScienceOtto von Guericke UniversityMagdeburgGermany
| | - J. Walter Tolentino‐Castro
- Department of Movement ScienceUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of MünsterMünsterGermany
| | - Elisabeth Kaminski
- Department of NeurologyMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Applied GeropsychologyChemnitz University of TechnologyChemnitzGermany
| | - Patrick Ragert
- Department of NeurologyMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Faculty of Sport ScienceInstitute for General Kinesiology and Exercise Science, Leipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Department of NeurologyMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Mind and Brain InstituteCharité and Humboldt UniversityBerlinGermany
| | - Marco Taubert
- Department of NeurologyMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Institute III, Department of Sport ScienceOtto von Guericke UniversityMagdeburgGermany
- Center for Behavioral and Brain Science (CBBS)Otto von Guericke UniversityMagdeburgGermany
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38
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Baselines for human morality should include species typicality, inheritances, culture, practice, and ecological attachment. Behav Brain Sci 2019; 42:e163. [PMID: 31506116 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x18002625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Empirical studies involve WEIRD (Western, European, industrialized, rich, democratic) but also un-nested (raised outside humanity's evolved nest) and underdeveloped participants. Assessing human moral potential needs to integrate a transdisciplinary approach to understanding species typicality and baselines, relevant evolutionary inheritances beyond genes, assessment of cultures and practices that foster (or not) virtue, and ecological morality. Human moral reason (nous) emerges from all of these.
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Geva S, Fernyhough C. A Penny for Your Thoughts: Children's Inner Speech and Its Neuro-Development. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1708. [PMID: 31474897 PMCID: PMC6702515 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Inner speech emerges in early childhood, in parallel with the maturation of the dorsal language stream. To date, the developmental relations between these two processes have not been examined. We review evidence that the dorsal language stream has a role in supporting the psychological phenomenon of inner speech, before considering pediatric studies of the dorsal stream's anatomical development and evidence for its emerging functional roles. We examine possible causal accounts of the relations between these two developmental processes and consider their implications for phylogenetic theories about the evolution of inner speech and the accounts of the ontogenetic relations between language and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Geva
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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40
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Brain size expansion in primates and humans is explained by a selective modular expansion of the cortico-cerebellar system. Cortex 2019; 118:292-305. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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41
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Hopkins WD, Latzman RD, Mareno MC, Schapiro SJ, Gómez-Robles A, Sherwood CC. Heritability of Gray Matter Structural Covariation and Tool Use Skills in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): A Source-Based Morphometry and Quantitative Genetic Analysis. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:3702-3711. [PMID: 30307488 PMCID: PMC6686745 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonhuman primates, and great apes in particular, possess a variety of cognitive abilities thought to underlie human brain and cognitive evolution, most notably, the manufacture and use of tools. In a relatively large sample (N = 226) of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) for whom pedigrees are well known, the overarching aim of the current study was to investigate the source of heritable variation in brain structure underlying tool use skills. Specifically, using source-based morphometry (SBM), a multivariate analysis of naturally occurring patterns of covariation in gray matter across the brain, we investigated (1) the genetic contributions to variation in SBM components, (2) sex and age effects for each component, and (3) phenotypic and genetic associations between SBM components and tool use skill. Results revealed important sex- and age-related differences across largely heritable SBM components and associations between structural covariation and tool use skill. Further, shared genetic mechanisms appear to account for a heritable link between variation in both the capacity to use tools and variation in morphology of the superior limb of the superior temporal sulcus and adjacent parietal cortex. Findings represent the first evidence of heritability of structural covariation in gray matter among nonhuman primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Hopkins
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Robert D Latzman
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mary Catherine Mareno
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, USA
| | - Steven J Schapiro
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, USA
| | - Aida Gómez-Robles
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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42
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Ardesch DJ, Scholtens LH, van den Heuvel MP. The human connectome from an evolutionary perspective. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2019; 250:129-151. [PMID: 31703899 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The connectome describes the comprehensive set of neuronal connections of a species' central nervous system. Identifying the network characteristics of the human macroscale connectome and comparing these features with connectomes of other species provides insight into the evolution of human brain connectivity and its role in brain function. Several network properties of the human connectome are conserved across species, with emerging evidence also indicating potential human-specific adaptations of connectome topology. This review describes the human macroscale structural and functional connectome, focusing on common themes of brain wiring in the animal kingdom and network adaptations that may underlie human brain function. Evidence is drawn from comparative studies across a wide range of animal species, and from research comparing human brain wiring with that of non-human primates. Approaching the human connectome from a comparative perspective paves the way for network-level insights into the evolution of human brain structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Jan Ardesch
- Connectome Lab, Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Lianne H Scholtens
- Connectome Lab, Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn P van den Heuvel
- Connectome Lab, Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Clinical Genetics, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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43
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Bruner E. Human paleoneurology: Shaping cortical evolution in fossil hominids. J Comp Neurol 2019; 527:1753-1765. [PMID: 30520032 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary neuroanatomy must integrate two different sources of information, namely from fossil and from living species. Fossils supply information concerning the process of evolution, whereas living species supply information on the product of evolution. Unfortunately, the fossil record is partial and fragmented, and often cannot support validations for specific evolutionary hypotheses. Living species can provide more comprehensive indications, but they do not represent ancestral groups or primitive forms. Macaques or chimpanzees are frequently used as proxy for human ancestral conditions, despite the fact they are divergent and specialized lineages, with their own biological features. Similarly, in paleoanthropology independent lineages (such as Neanderthals) should not be confused with ancestral modern human stages. In this comparative framework, paleoneurology deals with the analysis of the endocranial cavity in extinct species, in order to make inferences on brain evolution. A main target of this field is to distinguish the endocranial variations due to brain changes, from those due to cranial constraints. Digital anatomy and computed morphometrics have provided major advances in this field. However, brains and endocasts can be hard to analyze with geometrical models, because of uncertainties due to the localization of cortical landmarks and boundaries. The study of the evolution of the parietal cortex supplies an interesting case-study in which paleontological and neontological data can integrate and test evolutionary hypotheses based on multiple sources of evidence. The relationships with visuospatial functions and brain-body-tool integration stress further that the analysis of the cognitive system should go beyond the neural boundaries of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Bruner
- Programa de Paleobiología de Homínidos, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
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44
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Bruner E, Esteve-Altava B, Rasskin-Gutman D. A network approach to brain form, cortical topology and human evolution. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:2231-2245. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01900-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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45
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Pruunsild P, Bading H. Shaping the human brain: evolutionary cis-regulatory plasticity drives changes in synaptic activity-controlled adaptive gene expression. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 59:34-40. [PMID: 31102862 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Neuronal activity-induced gene expression programs involved in synaptic structure- and plasticity-related functions are similar in mice and humans, yet bear distinct features. These include gains or losses of activity-responsiveness of certain genes and differences in gene induction profiles. Here, we discuss a possible origin of dissimilarities in activity-regulated transcription between species. We highlight that while synapse-to-nucleus signalling pathways are evolutionarily conserved, cis-regulatory plasticity has been driving species-specific remodelling of the activity-controlled enhancer landscape, thereby affecting gene regulation. In particular, evolutionary rearrangements of transcription factor binding site placements together with potential species-dependent developmental stage- and/or cell type-specific epigenetic and other trans-acting mechanisms are most likely at least in part accountable for between-species diversity in activity-regulated transcription. It is conceivable that cis-regulatory plasticity may have equipped the synaptic activity-driven adaptive gene program in human neurons with unique, species-specific qualities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priit Pruunsild
- Department of Neurobiology, Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences (IZN), Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hilmar Bading
- Department of Neurobiology, Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences (IZN), Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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46
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Poza-Rey EM, Gómez-Robles A, Arsuaga JL. Brain size and organization in the Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos. Inferences from endocranial variation. J Hum Evol 2019; 129:67-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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47
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Chén OY, Cao H, Reinen JM, Qian T, Gou J, Phan H, De Vos M, Cannon TD. Resting-state brain information flow predicts cognitive flexibility in humans. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3879. [PMID: 30846746 PMCID: PMC6406001 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40345-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The human brain is a dynamic system, where communication between spatially distinct areas facilitates complex cognitive functions and behaviors. How information transfers between brain regions and how it gives rise to human cognition, however, are unclear. In this article, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 783 healthy adults in the Human Connectome Project (HCP) dataset, we map the brain's directed information flow architecture through a Granger-Geweke causality prism. We demonstrate that the information flow profiles in the general population primarily involve local exchanges within specialized functional systems, long-distance exchanges from the dorsal brain to the ventral brain, and top-down exchanges from the higher-order systems to the primary systems. Using an information flow map discovered from 550 subjects, the individual directed information flow profiles can significantly predict cognitive flexibility scores in 233 novel individuals. Our results provide evidence for directed information network architecture in the cerebral cortex, and suggest that features of the information flow configuration during rest underpin cognitive ability in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Y Chén
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Hengyi Cao
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jenna M Reinen
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- IBM Watson Research, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tianchen Qian
- Department of Statistics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jiangtao Gou
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Huy Phan
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- School of Computing, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Maarten De Vos
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tyrone D Cannon
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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48
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Strike LT, Hansell NK, Couvy-Duchesne B, Thompson PM, de Zubicaray GI, McMahon KL, Wright MJ. Genetic Complexity of Cortical Structure: Differences in Genetic and Environmental Factors Influencing Cortical Surface Area and Thickness. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:952-962. [PMID: 29377989 PMCID: PMC6373676 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantifying the genetic architecture of the cerebral cortex is necessary for understanding disease and changes to the brain across the lifespan. Prior work shows that both surface area (SA) and cortical thickness (CT) are heritable. However, we do not yet understand the extent to which region-specific genetic factors (i.e., independent of global effects) play a dominant role in the regional patterning or inter-regional associations across the cortex. Using a population sample of young adult twins (N = 923), we show that the heritability of SA and CT varies widely across regions, generally independent of measurement error. When global effects are controlled for, we detected a complex pattern of genetically mediated clusters of inter-regional associations, which varied between hemispheres. There were generally weak associations between the SA of different regions, except within the occipital lobe, whereas CT was positively correlated within lobar divisions and negatively correlated across lobes, mostly due to genetic covariation. These findings were replicated in an independent sample of twins and siblings (N = 698) from the Human Connectome Project. The different genetic contributions to SA and CT across regions reveal the value of quantifying sources of covariation to appreciate the genetic complexity of cortical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan T Strike
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
| | - Narelle K Hansell
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
| | | | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Greig I de Zubicaray
- Faculty of Health and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane QLD, Australia
| | - Katie L McMahon
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
| | - Margaret J Wright
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
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49
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Diederich NJ, James Surmeier D, Uchihara T, Grillner S, Goetz CG. Parkinson's disease: Is it a consequence of human brain evolution? Mov Disord 2019; 34:453-459. [PMID: 30759321 PMCID: PMC6593760 DOI: 10.1002/mds.27628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nico J Diederich
- Department of Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
| | - D James Surmeier
- Department of Physiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Toshiki Uchihara
- Neurology Clinic with Neuromorphomics Laboratory, Nitobe Memorial Nakano General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Neurology and Neurological Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.,Structural Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sten Grillner
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institut, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christopher G Goetz
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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50
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Abstract
Humans often seek to improve themselves, whether through self-discipline or through the use of science and technology. At some point in the future, techniques might become available that will change humans to such a degree that they might have to be regarded as something other than human: posthuman. This essay tries to define the point at which such a human-to-posthuman metamorphosis may occur. This is achieved by discerning what is it that makes human substance distinct, i.e. what is the human essence. This is accomplished by examining the features of the human body, looking at the mode of human existence in society and trying to grasp the importance of the body-soul relationship. Throughout the process, humans are compared to animals as well as entities from literature, film, and the gaming world. These are used as case studies to shape and test the ideas developed throughout the essay. This essay's conclusions might become useful when decisions will have to be made as to the legal status of posthumans, by providing a tool for discerning when metamorphosis has occurred. Moreover, insights from this essay might also inform debates surrounding the ethical status of certain modalities of human enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Pruski
- a School of Healthcare Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering , Manchester Metropolitan University , Manchester , UK.,b Critical Care Laboratory, Critical Care Directorate , Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust , Manchester , UK
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