Fetal brain development in chimpanzees versus humans

Sakai, Tomoko; Hirata, Satoshi; Fuwa, Kohki; Sugama, Keiko; Kusunoki, Kiyo; Makishima, Hideki; Eguchi, Tetsuo; Yamada, Shigehito; Ogihara, Naomichi; Takeshita, Hideko

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.06.062

Cited by 72 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Although humans and chimpanzees begin their neurodevelopment in a similar fashion, relative to chimpanzee neural development, the human neocortex develops at a faster rate even by the 16 th week in gestation and continues to grow at a relatively faster rate after birth (Sakai et al, 2012). The end result is that the average human brain is triple the size of the chimpanzee brain (Boddy et al, 2012).…”

Section: Cortical Expansion Differences Are Found In Regions Supportimentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary and Developmental Changes in the Lateral Frontoparietal Network: A Little Goes a Long Way for Higher-Level Cognition

Vendetti

Bunge

2014

Neuron

118

108

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Relational thinking, or the ability to represent the relations between items, is widespread in the animal kingdom. However, humans are unparalleled in their ability to engage in the higher-order relational thinking required for reasoning and other forms of abstract thought. Here we propose that the versatile reasoning skills observed in humans can be traced back to developmental and evolutionary changes in the lateral frontoparietal network (LFPN). We first identify the regions within the LFPN that are most strongly linked to relational thinking, and show that stronger communication between these regions over the course of development supports improvements in relational reasoning. We then explore differences in the LFPN between humans and other primate species that could explain species differences in the capacity for relational reasoning. We conclude that fairly small neuroanatomical changes in specific regions of the LFPN and their connections have led to big ontogenetic and phylogenetic changes in cognition.

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Section: Cortical Expansion Differences Are Found In Regions Supportimentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary and Developmental Changes in the Lateral Frontoparietal Network: A Little Goes a Long Way for Higher-Level Cognition

Vendetti

Bunge

2014

Neuron

118

108

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“…First, humans have very high rates of brain size growth during the third trimester of pregnancy (Roelfsema et al, 2004). These rates are absolutely high and accelerate immediately prior to birth, in contrast to those of our closest living relatives (Pan troglodytes) whose prenatal rates are always lower than in humans and begin decelerating 10 weeks prior to birth (Sakai et al, 2012). In fact, the high energetic cost of maintaining this pace of brain growth in humans has been hypothesized to be the mechanism that triggers birth itself, as the energetic demands of the fetus outpace what the mother can provide (Dunsworth et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A neonatal perspective on Homo erectus brain growth

Cofran

DeSilva

2015

Journal of Human Evolution

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“…These studies indicate that the onset, duration, and rate of change in a particular growth process are critical determinants of the adult phenotype (Bogin, 1999). For example, many primate species develop relatively large brains by modifying the rate of brain growth, and humans generate such large brains by extending the fetal rate of neural growth through the first year of postnatal life (Leigh, 2004; Sakai et al, 2012). In addition, the organization of the basal forebrain nuclei, which produce acetylcholine (ACh), differentiates in parallel with growth of the cerebral cortex and is the most complex in primates and cetaceans (Raghanti et al, 2011; Semba, 2004).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of myelination and cholinergic innervation in the central auditory system of a prosimian primate (Otolemur garnetti)

Miller

Lackey

Hackett

et al. 2013

J of Comparative Neurology

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Change in the timeline of neurobiological growth is an important source of biological variation, and thus phenotypic evolution. However, no study has to date investigated sensory system development in any of the prosimian primates that are thought to most closely resemble our earliest primate ancestors. Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neurotransmitter critical to normal brain function by regulating synaptic plasticity associated with attention and learning. Myelination is an important structural component of the brain because it facilitates rapid neuronal communication. In this work we investigated the expression of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and the density of myelinated axons throughout post-natal development in the inferior colliculus (IC), medial geniculate complex (MGC), and auditory cortex (auditory core, belt, and parabelt) in Garnett’s greater galago (Otolemur garnetti). We found that the IC and MGC exhibit relatively high myelinated fiber length density (MFLD) values at birth and attain adult-like values by the species-typical age at weaning. In contrast, neocort-ical auditory fields are relatively unmyelinated at birth and only attain adult-like MFLD values by the species-typical age at puberty. Analysis of AChE expression indicated that, in contrast to evidence from rodent samples, the adult-like distribution of AChE in the core area of auditory cortex, dense bands in layers I, IIIb/IV, and Vb/VI, is present at birth. These data indicate the differential developmental trajectory of central auditory system structures and demonstrate the early onset of adult-like AChE expression in primary auditory cortex in O. garnetti, suggesting the auditory system is more developed at birth in primates compared to rodents.

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Fetal brain development in chimpanzees versus humans

Cited by 72 publications

References 7 publications

Evolutionary and Developmental Changes in the Lateral Frontoparietal Network: A Little Goes a Long Way for Higher-Level Cognition

Evolutionary and Developmental Changes in the Lateral Frontoparietal Network: A Little Goes a Long Way for Higher-Level Cognition

A neonatal perspective on Homo erectus brain growth

Development of myelination and cholinergic innervation in the central auditory system of a prosimian primate (Otolemur garnetti)

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