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Foster M, Dwibhashyam S, Patel D, Gupta K, Matz OC, Billings BK, Bitterman K, Bertelson M, Tang CY, Mars RB, Raghanti MA, Hof PR, Sherwood CC, Manger PR, Spocter MA. Comparative anatomy of the caudate nucleus in canids and felids: Associations with brain size, curvature, cross-sectional properties, and behavioral ecology. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25618. [PMID: 38686628 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The evolutionary history of canids and felids is marked by a deep time separation that has uniquely shaped their behavior and phenotype toward refined predatory abilities. The caudate nucleus is a subcortical brain structure associated with both motor control and cognitive, emotional, and executive functions. We used a combination of three-dimensional imaging, allometric scaling, and structural analyses to compare the size and shape characteristics of the caudate nucleus. The sample consisted of MRI scan data obtained from six canid species (Canis lupus lupus, Canis latrans, Chrysocyon brachyurus, Lycaon pictus, Vulpes vulpes, Vulpes zerda), two canid subspecies (Canis lupus familiaris, Canis lupus dingo), as well as three felids (Panthera tigris, Panthera uncia, Felis silvestris catus). Results revealed marked conservation in the scaling and shape attributes of the caudate nucleus across species, with only slight deviations. We hypothesize that observed differences in caudate nucleus size and structure for the domestic canids are reflective of enhanced cognitive and emotional pathways that possibly emerged during domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Foster
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Sai Dwibhashyam
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Devan Patel
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Kanika Gupta
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Olivia C Matz
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Brendon K Billings
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Kathleen Bitterman
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Mads Bertelson
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Cheuk Y Tang
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry, BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mary Ann Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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Nelson J, Woeste EM, Oba K, Bitterman K, Billings BK, Sacco J, Jacobs B, Sherwood CC, Manger PR, Spocter MA. Neuropil Variation in the Prefrontal, Motor, and Visual Cortex of Six Felids. Brain Behav Evol 2024; 99:25-44. [PMID: 38354714 DOI: 10.1159/000537843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Felids have evolved a specialized suite of morphological adaptations for obligate carnivory. Although the musculoskeletal anatomy of the Felidae has been studied extensively, the comparative neuroanatomy of felids is relatively unexplored. Little is known about how variation in the cerebral anatomy of felids relates to species-specific differences in sociality, hunting strategy, or activity patterns. METHODS We quantitatively analyzed neuropil variation in the prefrontal, primary motor, and primary visual cortices of six species of Felidae (Panthera leo, Panthera uncia, Panthera tigris, Panthera leopardus, Acinonyx jubatus, Felis sylvestris domesticus) to investigate relationships with brain size, neuronal cell parameters, and select behavioral and ecological factors. Neuropil is the dense, intricate network of axons, dendrites, and synapses in the brain, playing a critical role in information processing and communication between neurons. RESULTS There were significant species and regional differences in neuropil proportions, with African lion, cheetah, and tiger having more neuropil in all three cortical regions in comparison to the other species. Based on regression analyses, we find that the increased neuropil fraction in the prefrontal cortex supports social and behavioral flexibility, while in the primary motor cortex, this facilitates the neural activity needed for hunting movements. Greater neuropil fraction in the primary visual cortex may contribute to visual requirements associated with diel activity patterns. CONCLUSION These results provide a cross-species comparison of neuropil fraction variation in the Felidae, particularly the understudied Panthera, and provide evidence for convergence of the neuroanatomy of Panthera and cheetahs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Nelson
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Erin M Woeste
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Ken Oba
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Kathleen Bitterman
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Brendon K Billings
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - James Sacco
- Ellis Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Bob Jacobs
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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Sacco JC, Starr E, Weaver A, Dietz R, Spocter MA. Resequencing of the TMF-1 (TATA Element Modulatory Factor) regulated protein (TRNP1) gene in domestic and wild canids. Canine Med Genet 2023; 10:10. [PMID: 37968761 PMCID: PMC10647097 DOI: 10.1186/s40575-023-00133-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cortical folding is related to the functional organization of the brain. The TMF-1 regulated protein (TRNP1) regulates the expansion and folding of the mammalian cerebral cortex, a process that may have been accelerated by the domestication of dogs. The objectives of this study were to sequence the TRNP1 gene in dogs and related canid species, provide evidence of its expression in dog brain and compare the genetic variation within dogs and across the Canidae. The gene was located in silico to dog chromosome 2. The sequence was experimentally confirmed by amplifying and sequencing the TRNP1 exonic and promoter regions in 72 canids (36 purebred dogs, 20 Gy wolves and wolf-dog hybrids, 10 coyotes, 5 red foxes and 1 Gy fox). RESULTS A partial TRNP1 transcript was isolated from several regions in the dog brain. Thirty genetic polymorphisms were found in the Canis sp. with 17 common to both dogs and wolves, and only one unique to dogs. Seven polymorphisms were observed only in coyotes. An additional 9 variants were seen in red foxes. Dogs were the least genetically diverse. Several polymorphisms in the promoter and 3'untranslated region were predicted to alter TRNP1 function by interfering with the binding of transcriptional repressors and miRNAs expressed in neural precursors. A c.259_264 deletion variant that encodes a polyalanine expansion was polymorphic in all species studied except for dogs. A stretch of 15 nucleotides that is found in other mammalian sequences (corresponding to 5 amino acids located between Pro58 and Ala59 in the putative dog protein) was absent from the TRNP1 sequences of all 5 canid species sequenced. Both of these aforementioned coding sequence variations were predicted to affect the formation of alpha helices in the disordered region of the TRNP1 protein. CONCLUSIONS Potentially functionally important polymorphisms in the TRNP1 gene are found within and across various Canis species as well as the red fox, and unique differences in protein structure have evolved and been conserved in the Canidae compared to all other mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- James C Sacco
- Ellis Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Drake University, 50311, Des Moines, IA, USA.
| | - Emma Starr
- Ellis Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Drake University, 50311, Des Moines, IA, USA
| | - Alyssa Weaver
- Ellis Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Drake University, 50311, Des Moines, IA, USA
| | - Rachel Dietz
- Ellis Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Drake University, 50311, Des Moines, IA, USA
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, 50266, Des Moines, IA, USA
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Oddes D, Ngwenya A, Malungo IB, Burkevica A, Hård T, Bertelsen MF, Spocter MA, Scantlebury DM, Manger PR. Orexinergic neurons in the hypothalami of an Asiatic lion, an African lion, and a Southeast African cheetah. J Comp Neurol 2022; 531:366-389. [PMID: 36354959 PMCID: PMC10099269 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Employing orexin-A immunohistochemistry, we describe the distribution, morphology, and nuclear parcellation of orexinergic neurons within the hypothalami of an Asiatic lion (Panthera leo subsp. persica), an African lion (Panthera leo subsp. melanochaita), and a Southeast African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus subsp. jubatus). In all three felids, the clustering of large, bipolar, and multipolar hypothalamic orexinergic neurons primarily follows the pattern observed in other mammals. The orexinergic neurons were found, primarily, to form three distinct clusters-the main, zona incerta, and optic tract clusters. In addition, large orexinergic neurons were observed in the ventromedial supraoptic region of the hypothalamus, where they are not typically observed in other species. As has been observed in cetartiodactyls and the African elephant, a cluster of small, multipolar orexinergic neurons, the parvocellular cluster, was observed in the medial zone of the hypothalamus in all three felids, although this parvocellular cluster has not been reported in other carnivores. In both subspecies of lions, but not the cheetah, potential orexin-immunopositive neurons were observed in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, supraoptic nucleus, the lateral part of the retrochiasmatic area, and the inner layer of the median eminence. The distribution and parcellation of orexinergic neurons in the hypothalami of the three felids studied appear to be more complex than observed in many other mammals and for the two subspecies of lion may be even more complex. These findings are discussed in terms of potential technical concerns, phylogenetic variations of this system, and potentially associated functional aspects of the orexinergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Demi Oddes
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Ayanda Ngwenya
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Illke B. Malungo
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | | | | | - Mads. F. Bertelsen
- Centre for Zoo and Wild Animal Health Copenhagen Zoo Frederiksberg Denmark
| | - Muhammad A. Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
- Department of Anatomy Des Moines University Des Moines Iowa USA
| | | | - Paul R. Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
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Dayal MR, Billings BK, Brits D, Abdallah A, Spocter MA, Bidmos MA. Sex estimation from dimensions of the base of the skull in Black South Africans. Anthropol Anz 2022; 79:411-421. [PMID: 35191461 DOI: 10.1127/anthranz/2022/1560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The pelvis and the skull are the two most utilised skeletal elements to estimate sex from skeletonised remains due to their sexually dimorphic traits. However, as increasingly more fragmented remains have been presented for analyses, other bones and their fragments have now been subjected to analyses for sex estimation. In the skull particularly, the base has shown to survive harsh conditions. In this study the foramen magnum region was explored in Black South Africans to estimate sex during forensic analyses. Seven measurements of the foramen magnum and surrounding areas were measured in 120 male and female crania and subjected to discriminant function analyses. The average accuracies for the stepwise discriminant functions ranged from 60-71% whilst the average accuracies for the direct discriminant functions ranged from 63-69%. The average accuracies obtained in this study are similar to other studies performed using the foramen magnum. However, these average accuracies are much lower than other skeletal elements that have been used for sex estimation in South Africans. Thus, the equations in this study should be used with caution and only in the absence of more accurate elements. The cranial base has always shown to have a low to moderate expression of sexual dimorphism. The cranial base of Black South Africans is no different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manisha R Dayal
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Brendon K Billings
- Human Variation and Identification Research Unit (HVIRU), School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Desiré Brits
- Human Variation and Identification Research Unit (HVIRU), School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Abdallah Abdallah
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- Human Variation and Identification Research Unit (HVIRU), School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Iowa, USA
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6
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Swiegers J, Bhagwandin A, Maseko BC, Sherwood CC, Hård T, Bertelsen MF, Spocter MA, Molnár Z, Manger PR. The distribution, number, and certain neurochemical identities of infracortical white matter neurons in the brains of a southern lesser galago, a black-capped squirrel monkey, and a crested macaque. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:3676-3708. [PMID: 34259349 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In the current study, we examined the number, distribution, and aspects of the neurochemical identities of infracortical white matter neurons, also termed white matter interstitial cells (WMICs), in the brains of a southern lesser galago (Galago moholi), a black-capped squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis), and a crested macaque (Macaca nigra). Staining for neuronal nuclear marker (NeuN) revealed WMICs throughout the infracortical white matter, these cells being most dense close to inner cortical border, decreasing in density with depth in the white matter. Stereological analysis of NeuN-immunopositive cells revealed estimates of approximately 1.1, 10.8, and 37.7 million WMICs within the infracortical white matter of the galago, squirrel monkey, and crested macaque, respectively. The total numbers of WMICs form a distinct negative allometric relationship with brain mass and white matter volume when examined in a larger sample of primates where similar measures have been obtained. In all three primates studied, the highest densities of WMICs were in the white matter of the frontal lobe, with the occipital lobe having the lowest. Immunostaining revealed significant subpopulations of WMICs containing neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and calretinin, with very few WMICs containing parvalbumin, and none containing calbindin. The nNOS and calretinin immunopositive WMICs represent approximately 21% of the total WMIC population; however, variances in the proportions of these neurochemical phenotypes were noted. Our results indicate that both the squirrel monkey and crested macaque might be informative animal models for the study of WMICs in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Swiegers
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Busisiwe C Maseko
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | | | - Mads F Bertelsen
- Centre for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Zoltán Molnár
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Manger PR, Patzke N, Spocter MA, Bhagwandin A, Karlsson KÆ, Bertelsen MF, Alagaili AN, Bennett NC, Mohammed OB, Herculano-Houzel S, Hof PR, Fuxe K. Amplification of potential thermogenetic mechanisms in cetacean brains compared to artiodactyl brains. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5486. [PMID: 33750832 PMCID: PMC7970898 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84762-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
To elucidate factors underlying the evolution of large brains in cetaceans, we examined 16 brains from 14 cetartiodactyl species, with immunohistochemical techniques, for evidence of non-shivering thermogenesis. We show that, in comparison to the 11 artiodactyl brains studied (from 11 species), the 5 cetacean brains (from 3 species), exhibit an expanded expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1, UCPs being mitochondrial inner membrane proteins that dissipate the proton gradient to generate heat) in cortical neurons, immunolocalization of UCP4 within a substantial proportion of glia throughout the brain, and an increased density of noradrenergic axonal boutons (noradrenaline functioning to control concentrations of and activate UCPs). Thus, cetacean brains studied possess multiple characteristics indicative of intensified thermogenetic functionality that can be related to their current and historical obligatory aquatic niche. These findings necessitate reassessment of our concepts regarding the reasons for large brain evolution and associated functional capacities in cetaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Nina Patzke
- School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA, USA
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Karl Æ Karlsson
- Biomedical Engineering, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Mads F Bertelsen
- Centre for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Abdulaziz N Alagaili
- KSU Mammals Research Chair, Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nigel C Bennett
- KSU Mammals Research Chair, Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Osama B Mohammed
- KSU Mammals Research Chair, Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Department of Psychology, Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kjell Fuxe
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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8
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Chengetanai S, Bhagwandin A, Bertelsen MF, Hård T, Hof PR, Spocter MA, Manger PR. The brain of the African wild dog. II. The olfactory system. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:3285-3304. [PMID: 32798255 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Employing a range of neuroanatomical stains, we detail the organization of the main and accessory olfactory systems of the African wild dog. The organization of both these systems follows that typically observed in mammals, but variations of interest were noted. Within the main olfactory bulb, the size of the glomeruli, at approximately 350 μm in diameter, are on the larger end of the range observed across mammals. In addition, we estimate that approximately 3,500 glomeruli are present in each main olfactory bulb. This larger main olfactory bulb glomerular size and number of glomeruli indicates that enhanced peripheral processing of a broad range of odorants is occurring in the main olfactory bulb of the African wild dog. Within the accessory olfactory bulb, the glomeruli did not appear distinct, rather forming a homogenous syncytia-like arrangement as seen in the domestic dog. In addition, the laminar organization of the deeper layers of the accessory olfactory bulb was indistinct, perhaps as a consequence of the altered architecture of the glomeruli. This arrangement of glomeruli indicates that rather than parcellating the processing of semiochemicals peripherally, these odorants may be processed in a more nuanced and combinatorial manner in the periphery, allowing for more rapid and precise behavioral responses as required in the highly social group structure observed in the African wild dog. While having a similar organization to that of other mammals, the olfactory system of the African wild dog has certain features that appear to correlate to their environmental niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samson Chengetanai
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mads F Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | | | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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9
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Chengetanai S, Bhagwandin A, Bertelsen MF, Hård T, Hof PR, Spocter MA, Manger PR. The brain of the African wild dog. III. The auditory system. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:3229-3244. [PMID: 32678456 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The large external pinnae and extensive vocal repertoire of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) has led to the assumption that the auditory system of this unique canid may be specialized. Here, using cytoarchitecture, myeloarchitecture, and a range of immunohistochemical stains, we describe the systems-level anatomy of the auditory system of the African wild dog. We observed the cochlear nuclear complex, superior olivary nuclear complex, lateral lemniscus, inferior colliculus, medial geniculate body, and auditory cortex all being in their expected locations, and exhibiting the standard subdivisions of this system. While located in the ectosylvian gyri, the auditory cortex includes several areas, resembling the parcellation observed in cats and ferrets, although not all of the auditory areas known from these species could be identified in the African wild dog. These observations suggest that, broadly speaking, the systems-level anatomy of the auditory system, and by extension the processing of auditory information, within the brain of the African wild dog closely resembles that observed in other carnivores. Our findings indicate that it is likely that the extraction of the semantic content of the vocalizations of African wild dogs, and the behaviors generated, occurs beyond the classically defined auditory system, in limbic or association neocortical regions involved in cognitive functions. Thus, to obtain a deeper understanding of how auditory stimuli are processed, and how communication is achieved, in the African wild dog compared to other canids, cortical regions beyond the primary sensory areas will need to be examined in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samson Chengetanai
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Mads F Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | | | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
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10
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Chengetanai S, Bhagwandin A, Bertelsen MF, Hård T, Hof PR, Spocter MA, Manger PR. The brain of the African wild dog. IV. The visual system. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:3262-3284. [PMID: 32725830 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The variegated pelage and social complexity of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) hint at the possibility of specializations of the visual system. Here, using a range of architectural and immunohistochemical stains, we describe the systems-level organization of the image-forming, nonimage forming, oculomotor, and accessory optic, vision-associated systems in the brain of one representative individual of the African wild dog. For all of these systems, the organization, in terms of location, parcellation and topology (internal and external), is very similar to that reported in other carnivores. The image-forming visual system consists of the superior colliculus, visual dorsal thalamus (dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, pulvinar and lateral posterior nucleus) and visual cortex (occipital, parietal, suprasylvian, temporal and splenial visual regions). The nonimage forming visual system comprises the suprachiasmatic nucleus, ventral lateral geniculate nucleus, pretectal nuclear complex and the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. The oculomotor system incorporates the oculomotor, trochlear and abducens cranial nerve nuclei as well as the parabigeminal nucleus, while the accessory optic system includes the dorsal, lateral and medial terminal nuclei. The extent of similarity to other carnivores in the systems-level organization of these systems indicates that the manner in which these systems process visual information is likely to be consistent with that found, for example, in the well-studied domestic cat. It would appear that the sociality of the African wild dog is dependent upon the processing of information extracted from the visual system in the higher-order cognitive and affective neural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samson Chengetanai
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mads F Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | | | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Iowa, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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11
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Spocter MA, Sherwood CC, Schapiro SJ, Hopkins WD. Reproducibility of leftward planum temporale asymmetries in two genetically isolated populations of chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes). Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201320. [PMID: 32900313 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Once considered a hallmark of human uniqueness, brain asymmetry has emerged as a feature shared with several other species, including chimpanzees, one of our closest living relatives. Most notable has been the discovery of asymmetries in homologues of cortical language areas in apes, particularly in the planum temporale (PT), considered a central node of the human language network. Several lines of evidence indicate a role for genetic mechanisms in the emergence of PT asymmetry; however, the genetic determinants of cerebral asymmetries have remained elusive. Studies in humans suggest that there is heritability of brain asymmetries of the PT, but this has not been explored to any extent in chimpanzees. Furthermore, the potential influence of non-genetic factors has raised questions about the reproducibility of earlier observations of PT asymmetry reported in chimpanzees. As such, the present study was aimed at examining both the heritability of phenotypic asymmetries in PT morphology, as well as their reproducibility. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we evaluated morphological asymmetries of PT surface area (mm2) and mean depth (mm) in captive chimpanzees (n = 291) derived from two genetically isolated populations. Our results confirm that chimpanzees exhibit a significant population-level leftward asymmetry for PT surface area, as well as significant heritability in the surface area and mean depth of the PT. These results conclusively demonstrate the existence of a leftward bias in PT asymmetry in chimpanzees and suggest that genetic mechanisms play a key role in the emergence of anatomical asymmetry in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad A Spocter
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, 3200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312, USA.,School of Anatomical Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
| | - 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, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center Bastrop, TX 78602, USA.,Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - William D Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center Bastrop, TX 78602, USA
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12
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Chengetanai S, Tenley JD, Bertelsen MF, Hård T, Bhagwandin A, Haagensen M, Tang CY, Wang VX, Wicinski B, Hof PR, Manger PR, Spocter MA. Brain of the African wild dog. I. Anatomy, architecture, and volumetrics. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:3245-3261. [PMID: 32720707 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The African wild dog is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and belongs to the family Canidae which includes domestic dogs and their closest relatives (i.e., wolves, coyotes, jackals, dingoes, and foxes). The African wild dog is known for its highly social behavior, co-ordinated pack predation, and striking vocal repertoire, but little is known about its brain and whether it differs in any significant way from that of other canids. We employed gross anatomical observation, magnetic resonance imaging, and classical neuroanatomical staining to provide a broad overview of the structure of the African wild dog brain. Our results reveal a mean brain mass of 154.08 g, with an encephalization quotient of 1.73, indicating that the African wild dog has a relatively large brain size. Analysis of the various structures that comprise their brains and their topological inter-relationships, as well as the areas and volumes of the corpus callosum, ventricular system, hippocampus, amygdala, cerebellum and the gyrification index, all reveal that the African wild dog brain is, in general, similar to that of other mammals, and very similar to that of other carnivorans. While at this level of analysis we do not find any striking specializations within the brain of the African wild dog, apart from a relatively large brain size, the observations made indicate that more detailed analyses of specific neural systems, particularly those involved in sensorimotor processing, sociality or cognition, may reveal features that are either unique to this species or shared among the Canidae to the exclusion of other Carnivora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samson Chengetanai
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Mads F Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Fredericksberg, Denmark
| | | | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mark Haagensen
- Department of Radiology, University of Witwatersrand-Donald Gordon Medical Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Cheuk Y Tang
- Department of Psychiatry, and BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Victoria X Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, and BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Bridget Wicinski
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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13
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Grewal JS, Gloe T, Hegedus J, Bitterman K, Billings BK, Chengetanai S, Bentil S, Wang VX, Ng JC, Tang CY, Geletta S, Wicinski B, Bertelson M, Tendler BC, Mars RB, Aguirre GK, Rusbridge C, Hof PR, Sherwood CC, Manger PR, Spocter MA. Brain gyrification in wild and domestic canids: Has domestication changed the gyrification index in domestic dogs? J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:3209-3228. [PMID: 32592407 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Over the last 15 years, research on canid cognition has revealed that domestic dogs possess a surprising array of complex sociocognitive skills pointing to the possibility that the domestication process might have uniquely altered their brains; however, we know very little about how evolutionary processes (natural or artificial) might have modified underlying neural structure to support species-specific behaviors. Evaluating the degree of cortical folding (i.e., gyrification) within canids may prove useful, as this parameter is linked to functional variation of the cerebral cortex. Using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the impact of domestication on the canine cortical surface, we compared the gyrification index (GI) in 19 carnivore species, including six wild canid and 13 domestic dog individuals. We also explored correlations between global and local GI with brain mass, cortical thickness, white and gray matter volume and surface area. Our results indicated that GI values for domestic dogs are largely consistent with what would be expected for a canid of their given brain mass, although more variable than that observed in wild canids. We also found that GI in canids is positively correlated with cortical surface area, cortical thickness and total cortical gray matter volumes. While we found no evidence of global differences in GI between domestic and wild canids, certain regional differences in gyrification were observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jagmeet S Grewal
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Tyler Gloe
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Joseph Hegedus
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | | | - Brendon K Billings
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Samson Chengetanai
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Sarah Bentil
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Victoria X Wang
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry,and BioMedical and Engineering Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Johnny C Ng
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry,and BioMedical and Engineering Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Cheuk Y Tang
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry,and BioMedical and Engineering Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Simon Geletta
- Department of Public Health, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Bridget Wicinski
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mads Bertelson
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Fredericksberg, Denmark
| | - Benjamin C Tendler
- Wellcome Centre for Intergrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Wellcome Centre for Intergrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Geoffrey K Aguirre
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Clare Rusbridge
- Fitzpatrick Referrals Orthopedics and Neurology, Fitzpatrick Referrals Ltd, Godalming, UK.,School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.,School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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14
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Nguyen VT, Uchida R, Warling A, Sloan LJ, Saviano MS, Wicinski B, Hård T, Bertelsen MF, Stimpson CD, Bitterman K, Schall M, Hof PR, Sherwood CC, Manger PR, Spocter MA, Jacobs B. Comparative neocortical neuromorphology in felids: African lion, African leopard, and cheetah. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:1392-1422. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vivian T. Nguyen
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Department of PsychologyColorado College Colorado Springs Colorado
| | - Riri Uchida
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Department of PsychologyColorado College Colorado Springs Colorado
| | - Allysa Warling
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Department of PsychologyColorado College Colorado Springs Colorado
| | - Lucy J. Sloan
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Department of PsychologyColorado College Colorado Springs Colorado
| | - Mark S. Saviano
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Department of PsychologyColorado College Colorado Springs Colorado
| | - Bridget Wicinski
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York
| | | | - Mads F. Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal HealthCopenhagen Zoo Frederiksberg Denmark
| | - Cheryl D. Stimpson
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human PaleobiologyThe George Washington University Washington District of Columbia
| | - Kathleen Bitterman
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Matthew Schall
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Department of PsychologyColorado College Colorado Springs Colorado
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human PaleobiologyThe George Washington University Washington District of Columbia
| | - Paul R. Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Muhammad A. Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health SciencesUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
- Department of AnatomyDes Moines University Des Moines Iowa
| | - Bob Jacobs
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Department of PsychologyColorado College Colorado Springs Colorado
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15
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Imam A, Bhagwandin A, Ajao MS, Spocter MA, Manger PR. The brain of the tree pangolin (Manis tricuspis). VI. The brainstem and cerebellum. J Comp Neurol 2019; 527:2440-2473. [PMID: 31152436 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The brainstem (midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata) and cerebellum (diencephalic prosomere 1 through to rhombomere 11) play central roles in the processing of sensorimotor information, autonomic activity, levels of awareness and the control of functions external to the conscious cognitive world of mammals. As such, comparative analyses of these structures, especially the understanding of specializations or reductions of structures with functions that have been elucidated in commonly studied mammalian species, can provide crucial information for our understanding of the behavior of less commonly studied species, like pangolins. In the broadest sense, the nuclear complexes and subdivisions of nuclear complexes, the topographical arrangement, the neuronal chemistry, and fiber pathways of the tree pangolin conform to that typically observed across more commonly studied mammalian species. Despite this, variations in regions associated with the locus coeruleus complex, auditory system, and motor, neuromodulatory and autonomic systems involved in feeding, were observed in the current study. While we have previously detailed the unusual locus coeruleus complex of the tree pangolin, the superior olivary nuclear complex of the auditory system, while not exhibiting additional nuclei or having an altered organization, this nuclear complex, particularly the lateral superior olivary nucleus and nucleus of the trapezoid body, shows architectonic refinement. The cephalic decussation of the pyramidal tract, an enlarged hypoglossal nucleus, an additional subdivision of the serotonergic raphe obscurus nucleus, and the expansion of the superior salivatory nucleus, all indicate neuronal specializations related to the myrmecophagous diet of the pangolins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aminu Imam
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Moyosore S Ajao
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa
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16
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Spocter MA, Fairbanks J, Locey L, Nguyen A, Bitterman K, Dunn R, Sherwood CC, Geletta S, Dell LA, Patzke N, Manger PR. Neuropil Distribution in the Anterior Cingulate and Occipital Cortex of Artiodactyls. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 301:1871-1881. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad A. Spocter
- Department of Anatomy; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Biomedical Sciences; Iowa State University; Ames Iowa
- School of Anatomical Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | | | - Lisa Locey
- Department of Anatomy; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
| | - Amy Nguyen
- College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Drake University; Des Moines Iowa
| | | | - Rachel Dunn
- Department of Anatomy; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology; The George Washington University; Washington Washington, DC
| | - Simon Geletta
- Department of Public Health; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
| | - Leigh-Anne Dell
- School of Anatomical Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
- Institute of Computational Neuroscience; University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; Hamburg Germany
| | - Nina Patzke
- School of Anatomical Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
- Department of Biology; Hokkaido University; Hokkaido Japan
| | - Paul R. Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
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17
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Spocter MA, Uddin A, Ng JC, Wong E, Wang VX, Tang C, Wicinski B, Haas J, Bitterman K, Raghanti MA, Dunn R, Hof PR, Sherwood CC, Jovanovik J, Rusbridge C, Manger PR. Scaling of the corpus callosum in wild and domestic canids: Insights into the domesticated brain. J Comp Neurol 2018; 526:2341-2359. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad A. Spocter
- Department of Anatomy; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Ashraf Uddin
- Department of Anatomy; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
| | - Johnny C. Ng
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York New York
| | - Edmund Wong
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York New York
| | - Victoria X. Wang
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York New York
| | - Cheuk Tang
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York New York
| | - Bridget Wicinski
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York New York
| | - Jordan Haas
- Department of Anatomy; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
| | | | - Mary Ann Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences; Kent State University; Kent Ohio
| | - Rachel Dunn
- Department of Anatomy; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; New York New York
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; New York New York
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology; The George Washington University; Washington District of Columbia
| | - Jelena Jovanovik
- Fitzpatrick Referrals Orthopedics and Neurology; Fitzpatrick Referrals Ltd; United Kingdom
| | - Clare Rusbridge
- Fitzpatrick Referrals Orthopedics and Neurology; Fitzpatrick Referrals Ltd; United Kingdom
- School of Veterinary Medicine; University of Surrey; Guildford Surrey United Kingdom
| | - Paul R. Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
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18
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Olateju OI, Spocter MA, Patzke N, Ihunwo AO, Manger PR. Hippocampal neurogenesis in the C57BL/6J mice at early adulthood following prenatal alcohol exposure. Metab Brain Dis 2018; 33:397-410. [PMID: 29164372 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-017-0156-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
We examined the effect of chronic prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on the process of adult neurogenesis in C57BL/6J mice at early adulthood (PND 56). Pregnant mice, and their in utero litters, were exposed to alcohol, through oral gavage, on gestational days 7-16, with recorded blood alcohol concentrations averaging 184 mg/dL (CA group). Two control groups, sucrose (CAc) and non-treated (NTc) control groups were also examined. The brains of pups at PND 56 from each experimental group were sectioned in a sagittal plane, and stained for Nissl substance with cresyl violet, and immunostained for Ki-67 which labels proliferative cells and doublecortin (DCX) for immature neurons. Morphologically, the neurogenic pattern was identical in all three groups studied. Populations of Ki-67 immunopositive cells in the dentate gyrus were not statistically significantly different between the experimental groups and there were no differences between the sexes. Thus, the PAE in this study does not appear to have a strong effect on the proliferative process in the adult hippocampus. In contrast, the numbers of immature neurons, labeled with DCX, was statistically significantly lower in the prenatal alcohol exposed mice compared with the two control groups. Alcohol significantly lowered the number of DCX hippocampal cells in the male mice, but not in the female mice. This indicates that the PAE appears to lower the rate of conversion of proliferative cells to immature neurons and this effect of alcohol is sexually dimorphic. This lowered number of immature neurons in the hippocampus appears to mirror hippocampal dysfunctions observed in FASD children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oladiran I Olateju
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA, 50312, USA
| | - Nina Patzke
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Amadi O Ihunwo
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
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19
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Jacobs B, Garcia ME, Shea-Shumsky NB, Tennison ME, Schall M, Saviano MS, Tummino TA, Bull AJ, Driscoll LL, Raghanti MA, Lewandowski AH, Wicinski B, Ki Chui H, Bertelsen MF, Walsh T, Bhagwandin A, Spocter MA, Hof PR, Sherwood CC, Manger PR. Comparative morphology of gigantopyramidal neurons in primary motor cortex across mammals. J Comp Neurol 2017; 526:496-536. [PMID: 29088505 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Gigantopyramidal neurons, referred to as Betz cells in primates, are characterized by large somata and extensive basilar dendrites. Although there have been morphological descriptions and drawings of gigantopyramidal neurons in a limited number of species, quantitative investigations have typically been limited to measures of soma size. The current study thus employed two separate analytical approaches: a morphological investigation using the Golgi technique to provide qualitative and quantitative somatodendritic measures of gigantopyramidal neurons across 19 mammalian species from 7 orders; and unbiased stereology to compare the soma volume of layer V pyramidal and gigantopyramidal neurons in primary motor cortex between 11 carnivore and 9 primate species. Of the 617 neurons traced in the morphological analysis, 181 were gigantopyramidal neurons, with deep (primarily layer V) pyramidal (n = 203) and superficial (primarily layer III) pyramidal (n = 233) neurons quantified for comparative purposes. Qualitatively, dendritic morphology varied considerably across species, with some (sub)orders (e.g., artiodactyls, perissodactyls, feliforms) exhibiting bifurcating, V-shaped apical dendrites. Basilar dendrites exhibited idiosyncratic geometry across and within taxonomic groups. Quantitatively, most dendritic measures were significantly greater in gigantopyramidal neurons than in superficial and deep pyramidal neurons. Cluster analyses revealed that most taxonomic groups could be discriminated based on somatodendritic morphology for both superficial and gigantopyramidal neurons. Finally, in agreement with Brodmann, gigantopyramidal neurons in both the morphological and stereological analyses were larger in feliforms (especially in the Panthera species) than in other (sub)orders, possibly due to specializations in muscle fiber composition and musculoskeletal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Jacobs
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Madeleine E Garcia
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Noah B Shea-Shumsky
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Mackenzie E Tennison
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Matthew Schall
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Mark S Saviano
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Tia A Tummino
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Anthony J Bull
- Human Biology and Kinesiology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Lori L Driscoll
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Mary Ann Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
| | | | - Bridget Wicinski
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Hong Ki Chui
- Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
| | - Mads F Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Fredericksberg, Denmark
| | - Timothy Walsh
- Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa.,Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Dell LA, Patzke N, Spocter MA, Bertelsen MF, Siegel JM, Manger PR. Organization of the sleep-related neural systems in the brain of the river hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius): A most unusual cetartiodactyl species. J Comp Neurol 2016; 524:2036-58. [PMID: 26588600 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Revised: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
This study provides the first systematic analysis of the nuclear organization of the neural systems related to sleep and wake in the basal forebrain, diencephalon, midbrain, and pons of the river hippopotamus, one of the closest extant terrestrial relatives of the cetaceans. All nuclei involved in sleep regulation and control found in other mammals, including cetaceans, were present in the river hippopotamus, with no specific nuclei being absent, but novel features of the cholinergic system, including novel nuclei, were present. This qualitative similarity relates to the cholinergic, noradrenergic, serotonergic, and orexinergic systems and is extended to the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic elements of these nuclei. Quantitative analysis reveals that the numbers of pontine cholinergic (259,578) and noradrenergic (127,752) neurons, and hypothalamic orexinergic neurons (68,398) are markedly higher than in other large-brained mammals. These features, along with novel cholinergic nuclei in the intralaminar nuclei of the dorsal thalamus and the ventral tegmental area of the midbrain, as well as a major expansion of the hypothalamic cholinergic nuclei and a large laterodorsal tegmental nucleus of the pons that has both parvocellular and magnocellular cholinergic neurons, indicates an unusual sleep phenomenology for the hippopotamus. Our observations indicate that the hippopotamus is likely to be a bihemispheric sleeper that expresses REM sleep. The novel features of the cholinergic system suggest the presence of an undescribed sleep state in the hippopotamus, as well as the possibility that this animal could, more rapidly than other mammals, switch cortical electroencephalographic activity from one state to another. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:2036-2058, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh-Anne Dell
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Nina Patzke
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, 50312
| | - Mads F Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, 2000, Fredericksberg, Denmark
| | - Jerome M Siegel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, Neurobiology Research 151A3, Veterans Administration Sepulveda Ambulatory Medical Center, North Hills, California, 91343
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
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Dell LA, Patzke N, Spocter MA, Siegel JM, Manger PR. Organization of the sleep-related neural systems in the brain of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). J Comp Neurol 2016; 524:1999-2017. [PMID: 26588354 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Revised: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The present study provides the first systematic immunohistochemical neuroanatomical investigation of the systems involved in the control and regulation of sleep in an odontocete cetacean, the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). The odontocete cetaceans show an unusual form of mammalian sleep, with unihemispheric slow waves, suppressed REM sleep, and continuous bodily movement. All the neural elements involved in sleep regulation and control found in bihemispheric sleeping mammals were present in the harbor porpoise, with no specific nuclei being absent, and no novel nuclei being present. This qualitative similarity of nuclear organization relates to the cholinergic, noradrenergic, serotonergic, and orexinergic systems and is extended to the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic elements involved with these nuclei. Quantitative analysis of the cholinergic and noradrenergic nuclei of the pontine region revealed that in comparison with other mammals, the numbers of pontine cholinergic (126,776) and noradrenergic (122,878) neurons are markedly higher than in other large-brained bihemispheric sleeping mammals. The diminutive telencephalic commissures (anterior commissure, corpus callosum, and hippocampal commissure) along with an enlarged posterior commissure and supernumerary pontine cholinergic and noradrenergic neurons indicate that the control of unihemispheric slow-wave sleep is likely to be a function of interpontine competition, facilitated through the posterior commissure, in response to unilateral telencephalic input related to the drive for sleep. In addition, an expanded peripheral division of the dorsal raphe nuclear complex appears likely to play a role in the suppression of REM sleep in odontocete cetaceans. Thus, the current study provides several clues to the understanding of the neural control of the unusual sleep phenomenology present in odontocete cetaceans. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:1999-2017, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh-Anne Dell
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Nina Patzke
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, 50312
| | - Jerome M Siegel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, Neurobiology Research 151A3, Veterans Administration Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center, North Hills, California, 91343
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
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22
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Dell LA, Karlsson KA, Patzke N, Spocter MA, Siegel JM, Manger PR. Organization of the sleep-related neural systems in the brain of the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). J Comp Neurol 2015; 524:2018-35. [PMID: 26588800 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Revised: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The current study analyzed the nuclear organization of the neural systems related to the control and regulation of sleep and wake in the basal forebrain, diencephalon, midbrain, and pons of the minke whale, a mysticete cetacean. While odontocete cetaceans sleep in an unusual manner, with unihemispheric slow wave sleep (USWS) and suppressed REM sleep, it is unclear whether the mysticete whales show a similar sleep pattern. Previously, we detailed a range of features in the odontocete brain that appear to be related to odontocete-type sleep, and here present our analysis of these features in the minke whale brain. All neural elements involved in sleep regulation and control found in bihemispheric sleeping mammals and the harbor porpoise were present in the minke whale, with no specific nuclei being absent, and no novel nuclei being present. This qualitative similarity relates to the cholinergic, noradrenergic, serotonergic and orexinergic systems, and the GABAergic elements of these nuclei. Quantitative analysis revealed that the numbers of pontine cholinergic (274,242) and noradrenergic (203,686) neurons, and hypothalamic orexinergic neurons (277,604), are markedly higher than other large-brained bihemispheric sleeping mammals. Small telencephalic commissures (anterior, corpus callosum, and hippocampal), an enlarged posterior commissure, supernumerary pontine cholinergic and noradrenergic cells, and an enlarged peripheral division of the dorsal raphe nuclear complex of the minke whale, all indicate that the suite of neural characteristics thought to be involved in the control of USWS and the suppression of REM in the odontocete cetaceans are present in the minke whale. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:2018-2035, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh-Anne Dell
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Karl Ae Karlsson
- Biomedical Engineering, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Nina Patzke
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.,Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Jerome M Siegel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, Neurobiology Research 151A3, Sepulveda VAMC, North Hills, California, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
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Dell LA, Spocter MA, Patzke N, Karlson KÆ, Alagaili AN, Bennett NC, Muhammed OB, Bertelsen MF, Siegel JM, Manger PR. Orexinergic bouton density is lower in the cerebral cortex of cetaceans compared to artiodactyls. J Chem Neuroanat 2015; 68:61-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2015.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Revised: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Chawana R, Alagaili A, Patzke N, Spocter MA, Mohammed OB, Kaswera C, Gilissen E, Bennett NC, Ihunwo AO, Manger PR. Microbats appear to have adult hippocampal neurogenesis, but post-capture stress causes a rapid decline in the number of neurons expressing doublecortin. Neuroscience 2014; 277:724-33. [PMID: 25106130 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.07.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2014] [Revised: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
A previous study investigating potential adult hippocampal neurogenesis in microchiropteran bats failed to reveal a strong presence of this neural trait. As microchiropterans have a high field metabolic rate and a small body mass, it is possible that capture/handling stress may lead to a decrease in the detectable presence of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Here we looked for evidence of adult hippocampal neurogenesis using immunohistochemical techniques for the endogenous marker doublecortin (DCX) in 10 species of microchiropterans euthanized and perfusion fixed at specific time points following capture. Our results reveal that when euthanized and perfused within 15 min of capture, abundant putative adult hippocampal neurogenesis could be detected using DCX immunohistochemistry. Between 15 and 30 min post-capture, the detectable levels of DCX dropped dramatically and after 30 min post-capture, immunohistochemistry for DCX could not reveal any significant evidence of putative adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Thus, as with all other mammals studied to date apart from cetaceans, bats, including both microchiropterans and megachiropterans, appear to exhibit substantial levels of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. The present study underscores the concept that, as with laboratory experiments, studies conducted on wild-caught animals need to be cognizant of the fact that acute stress (capture/handling) may induce major changes in the appearance of specific neural traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Chawana
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193 Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - A Alagaili
- KSU Mammals Research Chair, Department of Zoology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - N Patzke
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193 Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - M A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193 Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - O B Mohammed
- KSU Mammals Research Chair, Department of Zoology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - C Kaswera
- Faculté des Sciences, University of Kisangani, B.P 1232 Kisangani, Congo
| | - E Gilissen
- Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium; Laboratory of Histology and Neuropathology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1070 Brussels, Belgium; Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - N C Bennett
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - A O Ihunwo
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193 Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - P R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193 Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Butti C, Ewan Fordyce R, Ann Raghanti M, Gu X, Bonar CJ, Wicinski BA, Wong EW, Roman J, Brake A, Eaves E, Spocter MA, Tang CY, Jacobs B, Sherwood CC, Hof PR. The cerebral cortex of the pygmy hippopotamus, Hexaprotodon liberiensis (Cetartiodactyla, Hippopotamidae): MRI, cytoarchitecture, and neuronal morphology. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2014; 297:670-700. [PMID: 24474726 DOI: 10.1002/ar.22875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The structure of the hippopotamus brain is virtually unknown because few studies have examined more than its external morphology. In view of their semiaquatic lifestyle and phylogenetic relatedness to cetaceans, the brain of hippopotamuses represents a unique opportunity for better understanding the selective pressures that have shaped the organization of the brain during the evolutionary process of adaptation to an aquatic environment. Here we examined the histology of the cerebral cortex of the pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) by means of Nissl, Golgi, and calretinin (CR) immunostaining, and provide a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) structural and volumetric dataset of the anatomy of its brain. We calculated the corpus callosum area/brain mass ratio (CCA/BM), the gyrencephalic index (GI), the cerebellar quotient (CQ), and the cerebellar index (CI). Results indicate that the cortex of H. liberiensis shares one feature exclusively with cetaceans (the lack of layer IV across the entire cerebral cortex), other features exclusively with artiodactyls (e.g., the morphologiy of CR-immunoreactive multipolar neurons in deep cortical layers, gyrencephalic index values, hippocampus and cerebellum volumetrics), and others with at least some species of cetartiodactyls (e.g., the presence of a thick layer I, the pattern of distribution of CR-immunoreactive neurons, the presence of von Economo neurons, clustering of layer II in the occipital cortex). The present study thus provides a comprehensive dataset of the neuroanatomy of H. liberiensis that sets the ground for future comparative studies including the larger Hippopotamus amphibius.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Butti
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
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Ngwenya A, Patzke N, Spocter MA, Kruger JL, Dell LA, Chawana R, Mazengenya P, Billings BK, Olaleye O, Herculano-Houzel S, Manger PR. The Continuously Growing Central Nervous System of the Nile Crocodile ( Crocodylus niloticus). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ayanda Ngwenya
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Nina Patzke
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Muhammad A. Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
- Department of Anatomy; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
| | - Jean-Leigh Kruger
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Leigh-Anne Dell
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Richard Chawana
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Pedzisai Mazengenya
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Brendon K. Billings
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Olatunbosun Olaleye
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; 21941-590 Rio de Janeiro Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Neurociência Translacional; MCT/CNPq São Paulo Brazil
| | - Paul R. Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
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Manger PR, Spocter MA, Patzke N. The evolutions of large brain size in mammals: the 'over-700-gram club quartet'. Brain Behav Evol 2013; 82:68-78. [PMID: 23979457 DOI: 10.1159/000352056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The current paper details our developing understanding of the evolution of large brains in mammals. In order to do this, we first define brains that we consider to be large--those that have passed the apparent 700-gram ceiling on brain mass evolution in the class Mammalia. The over-700-gram club includes certain species within the genus Homo, order Cetacea, order Proboscidea, and suborder Pinnipedia. Our analysis suggests that selection for body size appears to be the most important factor in the evolution of large brain size, but there also appear to be internal morphophysiological constraints on large brain size evolution that need to be overcome in order for brains to break the 700-gram barrier. These two aspects appear to be common themes in the evolution of large brains. This significantly diminishes the explanatory value of selection for greater cognitive capacities as a principal factor in the evolution of enlarged brain sizes above the 700-gram threshold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
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28
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Ngwenya A, Patzke N, Spocter MA, Kruger JL, Dell LA, Chawana R, Mazengenya P, Billings BK, Olaleye O, Herculano-Houzel S, Manger PR. The Continuously Growing Central Nervous System of the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2013; 296:1489-500. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ayanda Ngwenya
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Nina Patzke
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Muhammad A. Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
- Department of Anatomy; Des Moines University; Des Moines Iowa
| | - Jean-Leigh Kruger
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Leigh-Anne Dell
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Richard Chawana
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Pedzisai Mazengenya
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Brendon K. Billings
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Olatunbosun Olaleye
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; 21941-590 Rio de Janeiro Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Neurociência Translacional; MCT/CNPq São Paulo Brazil
| | - Paul R. Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Parktown 2193 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
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Maseko BC, Jacobs B, Spocter MA, Sherwood CC, Hof PR, Manger PR. Qualitative and Quantitative Aspects of the Microanatomy of the African Elephant Cerebellar Cortex. Brain Behav Evol 2013; 81:40-55. [DOI: 10.1159/000345565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2012] [Accepted: 09/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Spocter MA, Hopkins WD, Barks SK, Bianchi S, Hehmeyer AE, Anderson SM, Stimpson CD, Fobbs AJ, Hof PR, Sherwood CC. Neuropil distribution in the cerebral cortex differs between humans and chimpanzees. J Comp Neurol 2012; 520:2917-29. [PMID: 22350926 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Increased connectivity of high-order association regions in the neocortex has been proposed as a defining feature of human brain evolution. At present, however, there are limited comparative data to examine this claim fully. We tested the hypothesis that the distribution of neuropil across areas of the neocortex of humans differs from that of one of our closest living relatives, the common chimpanzee. The neuropil provides a proxy measure of total connectivity within a local region because it is composed mostly of dendrites, axons, and synapses. Using image analysis techniques, we quantified the neuropil fraction from both hemispheres in six cytoarchitectonically defined regions including frontopolar cortex (area 10), Broca's area (area 45), frontoinsular cortex (area FI), primary motor cortex (area 4), primary auditory cortex (area 41/42), and the planum temporale (area 22). Our results demonstrate that humans exhibit a unique distribution of neuropil in the neocortex compared to chimpanzees. In particular, the human frontopolar cortex and the frontoinsular cortex had a significantly higher neuropil fraction than the other areas. In chimpanzees these prefrontal regions did not display significantly more neuropil, but the primary auditory cortex had a lower neuropil fraction than other areas. Our results support the conclusion that enhanced connectivity in the prefrontal cortex accompanied the evolution of the human brain. These species differences in neuropil distribution may offer insight into the neural basis of human cognition, reflecting enhancement of the integrative capacity of the prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad A Spocter
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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Maseko BC, Spocter MA, Haagensen M, Manger PR. Elephants have relatively the largest cerebellum size of mammals. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2012; 295:661-72. [PMID: 22282440 DOI: 10.1002/ar.22425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2011] [Revised: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The current study used MR imaging to determine the volume of the cerebellum and its component parts in the brain of three adult male African elephants (Loxodonta africana) and compared this with published data from Asian elephants and other mammalian species including odontocete cetaceans, primates, chiropterans, insectivores, carnivores, and artiodactyls. The cerebellum of the adult elephant has a volume of ∼925 mL (average of both African and Asian species). Allometric analysis indicates that the elephant has the largest relative cerebellum size of all mammals studied to date. In addition, both odontocete cetaceans and microchiropterans appear to have large relative cerebellar sizes. The vermal and hemispheric components of the African elephant cerebellum are both large relative to other mammals of similar brain size, however, for odontocete cetaceans the vermal component is small and the hemispheric component is large. These volumetric observations are related to life-histories and anatomies of the species investigated. The current study provides context for one aspect of the elephant brain in the broader picture of mammalian brain evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Busisiwe C Maseko
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
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Strkalj G, Spocter MA, Wilkinson AT. Anatomy, medical education, and human ancestral variation. Anat Sci Educ 2011; 4:362-5. [PMID: 22021152 DOI: 10.1002/ase.258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2011] [Revised: 09/23/2011] [Accepted: 09/25/2011] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
It is argued in this article that the human body both in health and disease cannot be fully understood without adequately accounting for the different levels of human variation. The article focuses on variation due to ancestry, arguing that the inclusion of information pertaining to ancestry in human anatomy teaching materials and courses should be carried out and implemented with care and in line with latest developments in biological anthropology and related sciences. This seems to be of particular importance in the education of health professionals, as recent research suggests that better knowledge of human variation can improve clinical skills. It is also argued that relatively small curricular changes relating to the teaching of human variation can produce significant educational gains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goran Strkalj
- Department of Chiropractic, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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Bianchi S, Bauernfeind AL, Gupta K, Stimpson CD, Spocter MA, Bonar CJ, Manger PR, Hof PR, Jacobs B, Sherwood CC. Neocortical neuron morphology in Afrotheria: comparing the rock hyrax with the African elephant. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2011; 1225:37-46. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.05991.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Spocter MA, Hopkins WD, Garrison AR, Bauernfeind AL, Stimpson CD, Hof PR, Sherwood CC. Wernicke's area homologue in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and its relation to the appearance of modern human language. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 277:2165-74. [PMID: 20236975 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human language is distinctive compared with the communication systems of other species. Yet, several questions concerning its emergence and evolution remain unresolved. As a means of evaluating the neuroanatomical changes relevant to language that accompanied divergence from the last common ancestor of chimpanzees, bonobos and humans, we defined the cytoarchitectonic boundaries of area Tpt, a component of Wernicke's area, in 12 common chimpanzee brains and used design-based stereologic methods to estimate regional volumes, total neuron number and neuron density. In addition, we created a probabilistic map of the location of area Tpt in a template chimpanzee brain coordinate space. Our results show that chimpanzees display significant population-level leftward asymmetry of area Tpt in terms of neuron number, with volume asymmetry approaching significance. Furthermore, asymmetry in the number of neurons in area Tpt was positively correlated with asymmetry of neuron numbers in Brodmann's area 45, a component of Broca's frontal language region. Our findings support the conclusion that leftward asymmetry of Wernicke's area originated prior to the appearance of modern human language and before our divergence from the last common ancestor. Moreover, this study provides the first evidence of covariance between asymmetry of anterior and posterior cortical regions that in humans are important to language and other higher order cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad A Spocter
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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Raghanti MA, Spocter MA, Butti C, Hof PR, Sherwood CC. A comparative perspective on minicolumns and inhibitory GABAergic interneurons in the neocortex. Front Neuroanat 2010; 4:3. [PMID: 20161991 PMCID: PMC2820381 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.05.003.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2009] [Accepted: 01/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Neocortical columns are functional and morphological units whose architecture may have been under selective evolutionary pressure in different mammalian lineages in response to encephalization and specializations of cognitive abilities. Inhibitory interneurons make a substantial contribution to the morphology and distribution of minicolumns within the cortex. In this context, we review differences in minicolumns and GABAergic interneurons among species and discuss possible implications for signaling among and within minicolumns. Furthermore, we discuss how abnormalities of both minicolumn disposition and inhibitory interneurons might be associated with neuropathological processes, such as Alzheimer's disease, autism, and schizophrenia. Specifically, we explore the possibility that phylogenetic variability in calcium-binding protein-expressing interneuron subtypes is directly related to differences in minicolumn morphology among species and might contribute to neuropathological susceptibility in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ann Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University Kent, OH, USA
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Sherwood CC, Raghanti MA, Stimpson CD, Spocter MA, Uddin M, Boddy AM, Wildman DE, Bonar CJ, Lewandowski AH, Phillips KA, Erwin JM, Hof PR. Inhibitory interneurons of the human prefrontal cortex display conserved evolution of the phenotype and related genes. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 277:1011-20. [PMID: 19955152 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.1831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory interneurons participate in local processing circuits, playing a central role in executive cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex. Although humans differ from other primates in a number of cognitive domains, it is not currently known whether the interneuron system has changed in the course of primate evolution leading to our species. In this study, we examined the distribution of different interneuron subtypes in the prefrontal cortex of anthropoid primates as revealed by immunohistochemistry against the calcium-binding proteins calbindin, calretinin and parvalbumin. In addition, we tested whether genes involved in the specification, differentiation and migration of interneurons show evidence of positive selection in the evolution of humans. Our findings demonstrate that cellular distributions of interneuron subtypes in human prefrontal cortex are similar to other anthropoid primates and can be explained by general scaling rules. Furthermore, genes underlying interneuron development are highly conserved at the amino acid level in primate evolution. Taken together, these results suggest that the prefrontal cortex in humans retains a similar inhibitory circuitry to that in closely related primates, even though it performs functional operations that are unique to our species. Thus, it is likely that other significant modifications to the connectivity and molecular biology of the prefrontal cortex were overlaid on this conserved interneuron architecture in the course of human evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
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Schenker NM, Hopkins WD, Spocter MA, Garrison AR, Stimpson CD, Erwin JM, Hof PR, Sherwood CC. Broca's area homologue in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): probabilistic mapping, asymmetry, and comparison to humans. Cereb Cortex 2009; 20:730-42. [PMID: 19620620 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhp138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural changes that occurred during human evolution to support language are poorly understood. As a basis of comparison to humans, we used design-based stereological methods to estimate volumes, total neuron numbers, and neuron densities in Brodmann's areas 44 and 45 in both cerebral hemispheres of 12 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), one of our species' closest living relatives. We found that the degree of interindividual variation in the topographic location and quantitative cytoarchitecture of areas 44 and 45 in chimpanzees was comparable to that seen in humans from previous studies. However, in contrast to the documented asymmetries in humans, we did not find significant population-level hemispheric asymmetry for any measures of areas 44 and 45 in chimpanzees. Furthermore, there was no relationship between asymmetries of stereological data and magnetic resonance imaging-based measures of inferior frontal gyrus morphology or hand preference on 2 different behavioral tasks. These findings suggest that Broca's area in the left hemisphere expanded in relative size during human evolution, possibly as an adaptation for our species' language abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie M Schenker
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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Raghanti MA, Spocter MA, Stimpson CD, Erwin JM, Bonar CJ, Allman JM, Hof PR, Sherwood CC. Species-specific distributions of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons in the prefrontal cortex of anthropoid primates. Neuroscience 2008; 158:1551-9. [PMID: 19041377 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.10.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2008] [Revised: 10/30/2008] [Accepted: 10/31/2008] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we assessed the distribution of cortical neurons immunoreactive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in prefrontal cortical regions of humans and nonhuman primate species. Immunohistochemical methods were used to visualize TH-immunoreactive (TH-ir) neurons in areas 9 (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and 32 (anterior paracingulate cortex). The study sample included humans, great apes (chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, orangutan), one lesser ape (siamang), and Old World monkeys (golden guenon, patas monkey, olive baboon, moor macaque, black and white colobus, and François' langur). The percentage of neurons within the cortex expressing TH was quantified using computer-assisted stereology. TH-ir neurons were present in layers V and VI and the subjacent white matter in each of the Old World monkey species, the siamang, and in humans. TH-ir cells were also occasionally observed in layer III of human, siamang, baboon, colobus, and François' langur cortex. Cortical cells expressing TH were notably absent in each of the great ape species. Quantitative analyses did not reveal a phylogenetic trend for percentage of TH-ir neurons in these cortical areas among species. Interestingly, humans and monkey species exhibited a bilaminar pattern of TH-ir axon distributions within prefrontal regions, with layers I-II and layers V-VI having the densest contingent of axons. In contrast, the great apes had a different pattern of laminar innervation, with a remarkably denser distribution of TH-ir axons within layer III. It is possible that the catecholaminergic afferent input to layer III in chimpanzees and other great apes covaries with loss of TH-ir cells within the cortical mantle.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
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Dayal MR, Spocter MA, Bidmos MA. An assessment of sex using the skull of black South Africans by discriminant function analysis. Homo 2008; 59:209-21. [PMID: 18439606 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2007.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2006] [Accepted: 01/24/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The derivation of discriminant function equations for skeletal elements of South African populations continues to be an area of interest to both forensic anthropologists and skeletal biologists alike. The skull of black South Africans has previously been subjected to discriminant function analysis, using four measurements and two indices; however, no equations were derived to address the issue of sex determination. Recently Franklin, Freedman and Milne [2005. Sexual dimorphism and discriminant function sexing in indigenous South African crania. HOMO J. Comp. Hum. Biol. 55, 213-228] used the crania of black South Africans, in a three-dimensional approach, with eight linear measurements to investigate sex determination. This study, although valuable, requires the use of highly technical and expensive morphometric equipment that renders it less feasible in South Africa. In response to this, our study uses traditional anthropometric measurements and equipment to address the question of sex determination from the crania and mandible of blacks. One hundred and twenty non-pathological skulls were randomly selected from the Raymond Dart Collection of Human Skeletons, equally distributed by sex and belonging to individuals whose age at death ranges between 25 and 70 years. Fourteen cranial and six mandibular measurements were subjected to discriminant function analyses and discriminant function equations were derived for sex determination. Average accuracies ranged between 80% and 85% and were on par with that obtained in previous studies. Our study shows that traditional methods provide average accuracies that are comparable to those obtained using more complex techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Dayal
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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40
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Spocter MA, Strkalj G. Darwinian medicine--an evolutionary perspective on health and disease. S Afr Med J 2007; 97:1044-1046. [PMID: 18254197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
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Abstract
Estimating body mass/size/weight remains a crucial precursor to the evaluation of relative brain size and to achieving an understanding of brain evolution in fossil species. Despite the obvious close association between the metrics of postcranial elements and body mass a number of factors combine to reduce their utility. This study examines the feasibility of cranial variables for predicting body mass. The use of traditional regression procedures, independent contrasts analysis, and variance partitioning all support the hypothesis that cranial variables are correlated with body mass even when taking phylogeny into account, with r values typically ranging between 0.52 and 0.98. Body mass estimates derived for fossil hominins using cranial variables are similar to those obtained from previous studies using either cranial or postcranial elements. In particular, upper facial breadth and orbital height display strong predictive capability. Average body masses derived from Least Squares Regression (LSR) equations were used to calculate estimates of body mass for three hominin species. This resulted in estimates of between 30 kg and 47 kg for Australopithecus africanus, 48 kg and 52 kg for Paranthropus robustus, and 75 kg for Homo neanderthalensis. It is proposed that regression equations derived for the order primates are used to estimate body mass for archaic hominins, while hominoid based equations are most suited for Homo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad A Spocter
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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