Primate Cognitive Studies

doi:10.1017/9781108955836

Cited by 6 publications

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Serial visual reversal learning in captive black-handed spider monkeys, Ateles geoffroyi

Dorschner,

Hernandez Salazar,

Laska

2024

Anim Cogn

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent research suggests that socio-ecological factors such as dietary specialization and social complexity may be drivers of advanced cognitive skills among primates. Therefore, we assessed the ability of 12 black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), a highly frugivorous platyrrhine primate with strong fission-fusion dynamics, to succeed in a serial visual reversal learning task. Using a two-alternative choice paradigm we first trained the animals to reliably choose a rewarded visual stimulus over a non-rewarded one. Upon reaching a pre-set learning criterion we then switched the reward values of the two stimuli and assessed if and how quickly the animals learned to reverse their choices, again to a pre-set learning criterion. This stimulus reversal procedure was then continued for a total of 80 sessions of 10 trials each. We found that the spider monkeys quickly learned to reliably discriminate between two simultaneously presented visual stimuli, that they succeeded in a visual reversal learning task, and that they displayed an increase in learning speed across consecutive reversals, suggesting that they are capable of serial reversal learning-set formation with visual cues. The fastest-learning individual completed five reversals within the 80 sessions. The spider monkeys outperformed most other primate and nonprimate mammal species tested so far on this type of cognitive task, including chimpanzees, with regard to their learning speed in both the initial learning task and in the first reversal task, suggesting a high degree of behavioral flexibility and inhibitory control. Our findings support the notion that socio-ecological factors such as dietary specialization and social complexity foster advanced cognitive skills in primates.

show abstract

Serial visual reversal learning in captive black-handed spider monkeys, Ateles geoffroyi

Dorschner,

Hernandez Salazar,

Laska

2024

Anim Cogn

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

In vivomapping of the deep and superficial white matter connectivity in the chimpanzee brain

Chauvel,

Uszynski,

Herlin

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mapping the chimpanzee brain connectome, and comparing it to humans, is key to our understanding of similarities and differences in primate evolution that occurred after the split from their common ancestor around 6 million years ago. In contrast with macaque species brain studies, less studies have specifically addressed the structural connectivity of the chim-panzee brain and its comparison with the human brain. Most comparative studies in the liter-ature focus on the anatomy of the cortex and deep nuclei to evaluate how their morphometry and asymmetry differs from that of the human brain, and some studies have emerged concern-ing the study of brain connectivity between primates. In this work, we established a new white matter atlas of the deep and superficial white matter structural connectivity in chimpanzees. In vivo anatomical and diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were collected on a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system in 39 chimpanzees. These datasets were subsequently processed using a dedicated fiber clustering pipeline adapted to the chimpanzee brain enabling us to create two novel deep and superficial white matter connectivity atlases representative of the chimpanzee brain. These atlases provide the scientific community with an important and novel set of reference data for understanding the commonalities and differ-ences of the structural connectivity between the human and chimpanzee brains, which will contribute to a better understanding of the hominin brain evolution.

show abstract

Comparative Analysis of Human-Chimpanzee Divergence in Brain Connectivity and its Genetic Correlates

Wang,

Cheng,

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are humans’ closest living evolutionary relatives, making them the most directly relevant comparison point for understanding human brain evolution. By zeroing in on the differences in brain connectivity between humans and chimpanzees, it can provide key insights into the specific evolutionary changes that occurred along the human lineage. However, conducting fair comparisons of brain connectivity between humans and chimpanzees remains challenging, as cross-species brain atlases established within the same framework are currently lacking. Without the availability of cross-species brain atlases, the region-wise connectivity patterns between humans and chimpanzees cannot be directly compared. To address this gap, we built the first Chimpanzee Brainnetome Atlas (ChimpBNA) by following the well-established connectivity-based parcellation framework. Leveraging this new resource, we found substantial divergence in connectivity patterns across most association cortices, notably in the lateral temporal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex between the two species. Intriguingly, these patterns significantly deviate from the expected cortical expansion during brain evolution. Additionally, we identified regions displaying connectional asymmetries between species, likely resulting from evolutionary divergence. Genes associated with these divergent connectivities were found to be enriched in cell types crucial for cortical projection circuits and synapse formation. These genes exhibited more pronounced differences in expression patterns in regions with higher connectivity divergence, suggesting a potential foundation for brain connectivity evolution. Therefore, our study not only provides a fine-scale brain atlas of chimpanzees but also highlights the connectivity divergence between humans and chimpanzees in a more rigorous and comparative manner and suggests potential genetic underpinnings for the observed divergence in brain connectivity patterns between the two species. This can help us better understand the origins and development of uniquely human cognitive capabilities.

show abstract

Primate Cognitive Studies

Cited by 6 publications

References 40 publications

Serial visual reversal learning in captive black-handed spider monkeys, Ateles geoffroyi

Serial visual reversal learning in captive black-handed spider monkeys, Ateles geoffroyi

In vivomapping of the deep and superficial white matter connectivity in the chimpanzee brain

Comparative Analysis of Human-Chimpanzee Divergence in Brain Connectivity and its Genetic Correlates

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About