Convergent evolution of complex brains and high intelligence

Roth, Gerhard

doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0049

Cited by 73 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…[4]). We recognized that small vertebrates on average have small brains and large animals large brains in absolute terms, and the reason for this is that brain size is determined roughly 90% by body size.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most astonishing is the fact that the 'seat' of avian intelligence, the nidopallium, exhibits an anatomy and a cytoarchitecture that differ considerably from that of the mammalian isocortex (cf. [4]). This could indicate that high intelligence can be realized by very different neuronal architectures.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of lack of sufficient comparative data in other taxa, we will restrict our discussion mostly to primates and compare them to other mammals and, where possible, to birds (see also [4]). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Jerison's 'encephalization quotient (EQ)' (for a critical overview, see [3]). One could also look for neurobiologically more meaningful traits like the number of neurons in the entire brain or in the pallium or cortex, the degree of connectivity, axonal conduction velocity, etc., relevant for 'information processing capacity (IPC)' of the brain or of the pallium or cortex, respectively [4]. IPC is coincident with the notion of 'general intelligence' as largely defined by the efficiency of working memory and, accordingly, mental manipulation abilities [5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neuronal factors determining high intelligence

Dicke¹,

Roth²

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

145

107

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One contribution of 16 to a discussion meeting issue 'Homology and convergence in nervous system evolution'. Many attempts have been made to correlate degrees of both animal and human intelligence with brain properties. With respect to mammals, a much-discussed trait concerns absolute and relative brain size, either uncorrected or corrected for body size. However, the correlation of both with degrees of intelligence yields large inconsistencies, because although they are regarded as the most intelligent mammals, monkeys and apes, including humans, have neither the absolutely nor the relatively largest brains. The best fit between brain traits and degrees of intelligence among mammals is reached by a combination of the number of cortical neurons, neuron packing density, interneuronal distance and axonal conduction velocity-factors that determine general information processing capacity (IPC), as reflected by general intelligence. The highest IPC is found in humans, followed by the great apes, Old World and New World monkeys. The IPC of cetaceans and elephants is much lower because of a thin cortex, low neuron packing density and low axonal conduction velocity. By contrast, corvid and psittacid birds have very small and densely packed pallial neurons and relatively many neurons, which, despite very small brain volumes, might explain their high intelligence. The evolution of a syntactical and grammatical language in humans most probably has served as an additional intelligence amplifier, which may have happened in songbirds and psittacids in a convergent manner.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Neuronal factors determining high intelligence

Dicke¹,

Roth²

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

145

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…However, in the next contribution, Roth [37] argues for evidence of convergent evolution of intelligence concomitant with the elaboration of multimodal integration centres, such as the cephalopods' vertical lobes, the insect mushroom bodies and various derivations of the vertebrate pallium. Roth's thesis is that elaboration and enlargement of such centres relate to the evolution of spatial learning for foraging, social and self-motivated learning.…”

Section: Organization and Contributions To This Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction to ‘Origin and evolution of the nervous system’

Strausfeld

Hirth

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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In 1665, Robert Hooke demonstrated in Micrographia the power of the microscope and comparative observations, one of which revealed similarities between the arthropod and vertebrate eyes. Utilizing comparative observations, Saint-Hilaire in 1822 was the first to propose that the ventral nervous system of arthropods corresponds to the dorsal nervous system of vertebrates. Since then, studies on the origin and evolution of the nervous system have become inseparable from studies about Metazoan origins and the origins of organ systems. The advent of genome sequence data and, in turn, phylogenomics and phylogenetics have refined cladistics and expanded our understanding of Metazoan phylogeny. However, the origin and evolution of the nervous system is still obscure and many questions and problems remain. A recurrent problem is whether and to what extent sequence data provide reliable guidance for comparisons across phyla. Are genetic data congruent with the geological fossil records? How can we reconcile evolved character loss with phylogenomic records? And how informative are genetic data in relation to the specification of nervous system morphologies? These provide some of the background and context for a Royal Society meeting to discuss new data and concepts that might achieve insights into the origin and evolution of brains and nervous systems.

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The Brain of the Giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis): Surface Configuration, Encephalization Quotient, and Analysis of the Existing Literature

Graïc

Peruffo

Ballarin

et al. 2017

The Anatomical Record

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The anatomy of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus, 1758) has been poorly studied, except for the circulatory system. In particular, only a handful of studies have concerned the brain of this species since the first description in 1839. Accordingly, only a very few articles discussing encephalization mentioned the giraffe or used it in their calculations. In this article, we performed a thorough examination of the literature including old and grey, regarding the central nervous system of the giraffe. Furthermore, we examined the brain of 3 giraffes, and calculated the encephalization quotient (EQ) of the species, based on our own data and the values found in the literature. We also revised the pre-existing literature and re-mapped the main sulci based on current comparative interpretation and anatomical nomenclature. Our results were compared to those of other selected significant mammals. The mean brain weight was of 719.9 ± 12.5 g. Our data indicate that the EQ of the giraffe is 0.64 and matches that of the typical ungulate, despite having the largest brain among terrestrial Cetartiodactyla. This emphasizes that the giraffe is a highly specialized mammal, within the limitations of its clad. Anat Rec, 300:1502-1511, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Convergent evolution of complex brains and high intelligence

Cited by 73 publications

References 84 publications

Neuronal factors determining high intelligence

Neuronal factors determining high intelligence

Introduction to ‘Origin and evolution of the nervous system’

The Brain of the Giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis): Surface Configuration, Encephalization Quotient, and Analysis of the Existing Literature

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