Paleoneurology of Two New Neandertal Occipitals from El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) in the Context of Homo Endocranial Evolution

Abstract

The endocranial surface description and comparative analyses of two new neandertal occipital fragments (labelled SD-1149 and SD-370a) from the El Sidrón site (Asturias, Spain) reveal new aspects of neandertal brain morphological asymmetries. The dural sinus drainage pattern, as observed on the sagittal-transverse system, as well as the cerebral occipito-petalias, point out a slightly differential configuration of the neandertal brain when compared to other Homo species, especially H. sapiens. The neandertal dural sinus drainage pattern is organized in a more asymmetric mode, in such a way that the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) drains either to the right or to the left transverse sinuses, but in no case in a confluent mode (i.e. simultaneous continuation of SSS with both right (RTS) and left (LTS) transverse sinuses). Besides, the superior sagittal sinus shows an accentuated deviation from of the mid-sagittal plane in its way to the RTS in 35% of neandertals. This condition, which increases the asymmetry of the system, is almost nonexistent neither in the analyzed Homo fossil species sample nor in that of anatomically modern humans. Regarding the cerebral occipito-petalias, neandertals manifest one of the lowest percentages of left petalia of the Homo sample (including modern H. sapiens). As left occipito-petalia is the predominant pattern in hominins, it seems as if neandertals would have developed a different pattern of brain hemispheres asymmetry. Finally, the relief and position of the the cerebral sulci and gyri impressions observed in the El Sidrón occipital specimens look similar to those observed in modern H. sapiens. Anat Rec, 294:1370Rec, 294: -1381Rec, 294: , 2011. V V C 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Handedness in Neandertals from the El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain): Evidence from Instrumental Striations with Ontogenetic Inferences

“…The results match with the modern human handedness pattern, and provide additional indirect evidence for Neandertal brain lateralization. This handedness pattern, together with the asymmetries on cranial dural sinuses and blood drainage [38], the morphology of hyoid bone [39] and the same derived FOXP2 variant of modern humans [40] as part of the basis for human speech capability, reinforces a modern brain asymmetry pattern in Neandertals.…”

Investigación paleoantropológica de los fósiles neandertales de El Sidrón (Asturias, España)

“…El programa de investigación emprendido en la muestra aborda el análisis de los diferen-tes niveles de la organización biológica: el nivel molecular con la extracción y secuenciación del ADN; el nivel histológico mediante la elaboración de lámina fina e histología de superficie (Martinez-Maza et al, 2011); el nivel morfológico (Rosas et al, 2006b;2008a;Bastir et al, 2010;2015), el nivel orgánico centrado en la paleoneurología (Peña-Melián et al, 2011, Rosas et al, 2008b2013b;, sistémico y fisiológico por ejemplo del aparato respiratorio 2015), poblacional y evolutivo (Rosas et al, 2006a;2012c).…”

Primary visual cortex in neandertals as revealed from the occipital remains from the El Sidrón site, with emphasis on the newSD‐2300 specimen

“…() and Peña‐Melián et al. () (Table . In addition, the lunate sulcus has been explored in specimens (Table .…”

“…; Peña‐Melián et al. ). The age of the El Sidrón sample has been estimated at 49 million years old (de Torres et al.…”