Evolution of cortical geometry and its link to function, behaviour and ecology

Abstract

Studies in comparative neuroanatomy and of the fossil record demonstrate the influence of socio-ecological niches on the morphology of the cerebral cortex, but have led to oftentimes conflicting theories about its evolution. Here, we study the relationship between the shape of the cerebral cortex and the topography of its function. We establish a joint geometric representation of the cerebral cortices of ninety species of extant Euarchontoglires, including commonly used experimental model organisms. We show that variability in surface geometry relates to species’ ecology and behaviour, independent of overall brain size. Notably, ancestral shape reconstruction of the cortical surface and its change during evolution enables us to trace the evolutionary history of localised cortical expansions, modal segregation of brain function, and their association to behaviour and cognition. We find that individual cortical regions follow different sequences of area increase during evolutionary adaptations to dynamic socio-ecological niches. Anatomical correlates of this sequence of events are still observable in extant species, and relate to their current behaviour and ecology. We decompose the deep evolutionary history of the shape of the human cortical surface into spatially and temporally conscribed components with highly interpretable functional associations, highlighting the importance of considering the evolutionary history of cortical regions when studying their anatomy and function.

Rheological Characterization of Three-Dimensional Neuronal Cultures Embedded in PEGylated Fibrin Hydrogels

“…Despite these efforts, a central debate among the neuroscience community is whether these two-dimensional (2D) neuronal cultures are adequate models to understand the complexity of naturally formed neuronal circuits such as the brain, which combines 2D and 3D organization [ 9 , 10 ]. Indeed, neuronal cultures grown in a 2D environment exhibit a much poorer repertoire of neuronal activity as compared to the brain [ 11 , 12 , 13 ] due to the fact that cell connectivity is restricted to one plane.…”

The alteration of cortical microstructure similarity in drug-resistant epilepsy correlated with mTOR pathway genes

“… 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 However, it might not fully address the nonlinear effects of these variables, nor does it account for potential confounders like educational attainment and social interactions, which might influence our findings. 60 , 61 Thirdly, to maintain methodological consistency with prior neuroimaging studies, we employed independent t-tests. 62 , 63 This choice, while facilitating cross-study comparability, could challenge the independence of our matched observations.…”

The trade-off between vocal learning and dexterity: a balancing act

“…And molecular mechanisms underlying the circuit formation of critical forebrain to muscle pathways for vocal learning (Wang et al, 2015) exploit the very same molecular toolkit as the one leading to the fine-motor control of hand movements (Lemon, 2008). Our hypothesis is that the very structures that may be recruited for the development of the neurobiology required for vocal learning skills could act as a constraint on the development of these skills if they themselves require behavioral elaborations, as is the case among non-flyers/swimmers, particularly those species occupying an an arboreal niche, where selective pressures for forelimb manipulation, including arboreal locomotion, digging and prey handling are strong Whishaw, 2003;Sustaita et al, 2013;Gutiérrez-Ibáñez et al, 2023;Schwartz et al, 2023).…”