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de Sousa AA, Beaudet A, Calvey T, Bardo A, Benoit J, Charvet CJ, Dehay C, Gómez-Robles A, Gunz P, Heuer K, van den Heuvel MP, Hurst S, Lauters P, Reed D, Salagnon M, Sherwood CC, Ströckens F, Tawane M, Todorov OS, Toro R, Wei Y. From fossils to mind. Commun Biol 2023; 6:636. [PMID: 37311857 PMCID: PMC10262152 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04803-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Fossil endocasts record features of brains from the past: size, shape, vasculature, and gyrification. These data, alongside experimental and comparative evidence, are needed to resolve questions about brain energetics, cognitive specializations, and developmental plasticity. Through the application of interdisciplinary techniques to the fossil record, paleoneurology has been leading major innovations. Neuroimaging is shedding light on fossil brain organization and behaviors. Inferences about the development and physiology of the brains of extinct species can be experimentally investigated through brain organoids and transgenic models based on ancient DNA. Phylogenetic comparative methods integrate data across species and associate genotypes to phenotypes, and brains to behaviors. Meanwhile, fossil and archeological discoveries continuously contribute new knowledge. Through cooperation, the scientific community can accelerate knowledge acquisition. Sharing digitized museum collections improves the availability of rare fossils and artifacts. Comparative neuroanatomical data are available through online databases, along with tools for their measurement and analysis. In the context of these advances, the paleoneurological record provides ample opportunity for future research. Biomedical and ecological sciences can benefit from paleoneurology's approach to understanding the mind as well as its novel research pipelines that establish connections between neuroanatomy, genes and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Évolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR 7262 CNRS & Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
- University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Tanya Calvey
- Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Ameline Bardo
- UMR 7194, CNRS-MNHN, Département Homme et Environnement, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Julien Benoit
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christine J Charvet
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Colette Dehay
- University of Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, F-69500, Bron, France
| | | | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katja Heuer
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité de Neuroanatomie Appliquée et Théorique, F-75015, Paris, France
| | | | - Shawn Hurst
- University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Pascaline Lauters
- Institut royal des Sciences naturelles, Direction Opérationnelle Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Denné Reed
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Mathilde Salagnon
- CNRS, CEA, IMN, GIN, UMR 5293, Université Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- PACEA UMR 5199, CNRS, Université Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Felix Ströckens
- C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Mirriam Tawane
- Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Orlin S Todorov
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Roberto Toro
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité de Neuroanatomie Appliquée et Théorique, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Yongbin Wei
- Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing, China
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2
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Endocranial ontogeny and evolution in early Homo sapiens: The evidence from Herto, Ethiopia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2123553119. [PMID: 35914174 PMCID: PMC9371682 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2123553119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Fossils of early Homo sapiens from Herto, Ethiopia, show that populations living in Africa 160,000 years ago had already evolved brains broadly equivalent in size to those of humans living today. However, these early human braincases were shaped differently than ours, raising the question of whether the actual brains they housed were also structurally different. We used high-resolution computed tomography to perform accurate digital restorations of the fossil remains. These data allowed direct comparisons between endocranial shape development from childhood to adulthood in both fossil and living humans. Our results suggest that the peculiar shape of early Homo sapiens adult braincases was likely due to dietary and lifestyle differences rather than different brain anatomy. Fossils and artifacts from Herto, Ethiopia, include the most complete child and adult crania of early Homo sapiens. The endocranial cavities of the Herto individuals show that by 160,000 y ago, brain size, inferred from endocranial size, was similar to that seen in modern human populations. However, endocranial shape differed from ours. This gave rise to the hypothesis that the brain itself evolved substantially during the past ∼200,000 y, possibly in tandem with the transition from Middle to Upper Paleolithic techno-cultures. However, it remains unclear whether evolutionary changes in endocranial shape mostly reflect changes in brain morphology rather than changes related to interaction with maxillofacial morphology. To discriminate between these effects, we make use of the ontogenetic fact that brain growth nearly ceases by the time the first permanent molars fully erupt, but the face and cranial base continue to grow until adulthood. Here we use morphometric data derived from digitally restored immature and adult H. sapiens fossils from Herto, Qafzeh, and Skhul (HQS) to track endocranial development in early H. sapiens. Until the completion of brain growth, endocasts of HQS children were similar in shape to those of modern human children. The similarly shaped endocasts of fossil and modern children indicate that our brains did not evolve substantially over the past 200,000 y. Differences between the endocranial shapes of modern and fossil H. sapiens adults developed only with continuing facial and basicranial growth, possibly reflecting substantial differences in masticatory and/or respiratory function.
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Abstract
We are interested here in the central organ of our thoughts: the brain. Advances in neuroscience have made it possible to obtain increasing information on the anatomy of this organ, at ever-higher resolutions, with different imaging techniques, on ever-larger samples. At the same time, paleoanthropology has to deal with partial reflections on the shape of the brain, on fragmentary specimens and small samples in an attempt to approach the morphology of the brain of past human species. It undeniably emerges from the perspective we propose here that paleoanthropology has much to gain from interacting more with the field of neuroimaging. Improving our understanding of the morphology of the endocast necessarily involves studying the external surface of the brain and the link it maintains with the internal surface of the skull. The contribution of neuroimaging will allow us to better define the relationship between brain and endocast. Models of intra- and inter-species variability in brain morphology inferred from large neuroimaging databases will help make the most of the rare endocasts of extinct species. We also conclude that exchanges between these two disciplines will also be beneficial to our knowledge of the Homo sapiens brain. Documenting the anatomy among other human species and including the variation over time within our own species are approaches that offer us a new perspective through which to appreciate what really characterizes the brain of humanity today.
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4
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Baab KL, Nesbitt A, Hublin JJ, Neubauer S. Assessing the status of the KNM-ER 42700 fossil using Homo erectus neurocranial development. J Hum Evol 2021; 154:102980. [PMID: 33794419 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Based on ontogenetic data of endocranial shape, it has been proposed that a younger than previously assumed developmental status of the 1.5-Myr-old KNM-ER 42700 calvaria could explain why the calvaria of this fossil does not conform to the shape of other Homo erectus individuals. Here, we investigate (ecto)neurocranial ontogeny in H. erectus and assess the proposed juvenile status of this fossil using recent Homo sapiens, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) to model and discuss changes in neurocranial shape from the juvenile to adult stages. We show that all four species share common patterns of developmental shape change resulting in a relatively lower cranial vault and expanded supraorbital torus at later developmental stages. This finding suggests that ectoneurocranial data from extant hominids can be used to model the ontogenetic trajectory for H. erectus, for which only one well-preserved very young individual is known. However, our study also reveals differences in the magnitudes and, to a lesser extent, directions of the species-specific trajectories that add to the overall shared pattern of neurocranial shape changes. We demonstrate that the very young H. erectus juvenile from Mojokerto together with subadult and adult H. erectus individuals cannot be accommodated within the pattern of the postnatal neurocranial trajectory for humans. Instead, the chimpanzee pattern might be a better 'fit' for H. erectus despite their more distant phylogenetic relatedness. The data are also compatible with an ontogenetic shape trajectory that is in some regards intermediate between that of recent H. sapiens and chimpanzees, implying a unique trajectory for H. erectus that combines elements of both extant species. Based on this new knowledge, neurocranial shape supports the assessment that KNM-ER 42700 is a young juvenile H. erectus if H. erectus followed an ontogenetic shape trajectory that was more similar to chimpanzees than humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Baab
- Department of Anatomy, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, 85308, USA; NYCEP Morphometrics Group, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
| | - Allison Nesbitt
- Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Simon Neubauer
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Zuarez-Chamba M, Puma L, Bermeo J, Andrade E, Bermúdez-Puga SA, Naranjo-Briceño L. Genomic benchmarking studies reveal variations of the polyubiquitination domain of the PSD95 protein in Homo neanderthalensis and other primates of the Hominidae family: Possible implications in cognitive functions? BIONATURA 2021. [DOI: 10.21931/rb/2021.06.01.23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern humans' unique cognitive abilities regarding Neanderthals and other primate's lineages are frequently attributed to the differences in brain size development and evolution. However, recent studies have established the critical role of genomic and genetic benchmarking in analyzing the cognitive evolution between modern humans and primates, focused mainly on searching for involved genes in neurogenesis. PSD95 protein (named PSD95p) has a key role in modulating synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory skills. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the possible variations of the PSD95 gene between modern humans, Neanderthals, and other hominid primate species using bioinformatics tools. The results showed 14 polymorphisms compared with the contemporary human PSD95 gene, of which 13 were silent mutations, and only one was a non-silent mutation at the nucleotide position 281. Despite polymorphisms found at the nucleotide sequences, the PSD95p of humans and chimpanzees are 100% identical. Likewise, the gorilla and orangutan PSD95p are 100% identical, although a 103-amino acid deletion characterizes them at the N-terminal end (1-103), suggesting that it behaves like a non-functional protein. Interestingly, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) found at position 281 in the Neanderthal PSD95 gene leads to a change of the E94 to valine V94 in the polyubiquitination domain (PEST) and variation in the three-dimensional structure of PSD95 protein. We prompt that this structural change in the PEST domain could induce a loss of PSD95p function and, therefore, an alteration in synaptic plasticity forms such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). These findings open a possible hypothesis supporting the idea that humans' cognitive evolution after separating our last common ancestor with Neanderthals lineage could have been accompanied by discrete changes in the PSD95p polyubiquitination domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Zuarez-Chamba
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Ingeniería en Biotecnología. Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, vía Muyuna, km. 7, CP 150150, Tena, Ecuador
| | - Luis Puma
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Ingeniería en Biotecnología. Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, vía Muyuna, km. 7, CP 150150, Tena, Ecuador
| | - Jorge Bermeo
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Ingeniería en Biotecnología. Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, vía Muyuna, km. 7, CP 150150, Tena, Ecuador
| | - Eugenio Andrade
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Ingeniería en Biotecnología. Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, vía Muyuna, km. 7, CP 150150, Tena, Ecuador
| | - Stalin A. Bermúdez-Puga
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Ingeniería en Biotecnología. Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, vía Muyuna, km. 7, CP 150150, Tena, Ecuador
| | - Leopoldo Naranjo-Briceño
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Ingeniería en Biotecnología. Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, vía Muyuna, km. 7, CP 150150, Tena, Ecuador
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6
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Abstract
The early onset of weaning in modern humans has been linked to the high nutritional demand of brain development that is intimately connected with infant physiology and growth rate. In Neanderthals, ontogenetic patterns in early life are still debated, with some studies suggesting an accelerated development and others indicating only subtle differences vs. modern humans. Here we report the onset of weaning and rates of enamel growth using an unprecedented sample set of three late (∼70 to 50 ka) Neanderthals and one Upper Paleolithic modern human from northeastern Italy via spatially resolved chemical/isotopic analyses and histomorphometry of deciduous teeth. Our results reveal that the modern human nursing strategy, with onset of weaning at 5 to 6 mo, was present among these Neanderthals. This evidence, combined with dental development akin to modern humans, highlights their similar metabolic constraints during early life and excludes late weaning as a factor contributing to Neanderthals' demise.
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García-Martínez D, Bastir M, Gómez-Olivencia A, Maureille B, Golovanova L, Doronichev V, Akazawa T, Kondo O, Ishida H, Gascho D, Zollikofer CPE, de León MP, Heuzé Y. Early development of the Neanderthal ribcage reveals a different body shape at birth compared to modern humans. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/41/eabb4377. [PMID: 33028520 PMCID: PMC7541074 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb4377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Ontogenetic studies provide clues for understanding important paleobiological aspects of extinct species. When compared to that of modern humans, the adult Neanderthal thorax was shorter, deeper, and wider. This is related to the wide Neanderthal body and is consistent with their hypothetical large requirements for energy and oxygen. Whether these differences were already established at birth or appeared later during development is unknown. To delve into this question, we use virtual reconstruction tools and geometric morphometrics to recover the 3D morphology of the ribcages of four Neanderthal individuals from birth to around 3 years old: Mezmaiskaya 1, Le Moustier 2, Dederiyeh 1, and Roc de Marsal. Our results indicate that the comparatively deep and short ribcage of the Neanderthals was already present at birth, as were other skeletal species-specific traits. This morphology possibly represents the plesiomorphic condition shared with Homo erectus, and it is likely linked to large energetic requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel García-Martínez
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR5199, Pessac, France.
- Paleobiology Department, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Pso. Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain
| | - Markus Bastir
- Paleobiology Department, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Asier Gómez-Olivencia
- Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Leioa, Spain
- Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, Zorroagagaina 11, 20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, c/ Avda. Monforte de Lemos 5 (Pabellón 14), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Bruno Maureille
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR5199, Pessac, France
| | | | | | | | - Osamu Kondo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hajime Ishida
- Department of Human Biology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan
| | - Dominic Gascho
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Yann Heuzé
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR5199, Pessac, France
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8
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Pomeroy E, Hunt CO, Reynolds T, Abdulmutalb D, Asouti E, Bennett P, Bosch M, Burke A, Farr L, Foley R, French C, Frumkin A, Goldberg P, Hill E, Kabukcu C, Lahr MM, Lane R, Marean C, Maureille B, Mutri G, Miller CE, Mustafa KA, Nymark A, Pettitt P, Sala N, Sandgathe D, Stringer C, Tilby E, Barker G. Issues of theory and method in the analysis of Paleolithic mortuary behavior: A view from Shanidar Cave. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:263-279. [PMID: 32652819 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Mortuary behavior (activities concerning dead conspecifics) is one of many traits that were previously widely considered to have been uniquely human, but on which perspectives have changed markedly in recent years. Theoretical approaches to hominin mortuary activity and its evolution have undergone major revision, and advances in diverse archeological and paleoanthropological methods have brought new ways of identifying behaviors such as intentional burial. Despite these advances, debates concerning the nature of hominin mortuary activity, particularly among the Neanderthals, rely heavily on the rereading of old excavations as new finds are relatively rare, limiting the extent to which such debates can benefit from advances in the field. The recent discovery of in situ articulated Neanderthal remains at Shanidar Cave offers a rare opportunity to take full advantage of these methodological and theoretical developments to understand Neanderthal mortuary activity, making a review of these advances relevant and timely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Pomeroy
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chris O Hunt
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Tim Reynolds
- Department of History, Classics and Archaeology Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | | | - Eleni Asouti
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Marjolein Bosch
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ariane Burke
- Département d'Anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Lucy Farr
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robert Foley
- Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Charles French
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Amos Frumkin
- Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Paul Goldberg
- Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.,Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Evan Hill
- School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Ceren Kabukcu
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Marta Mirazón Lahr
- Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ross Lane
- Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury, UK
| | - Curtis Marean
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Bruno Maureille
- CNRS, UMR5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux, Ministry of Culture, Pessac Cedex, France
| | - Giuseppina Mutri
- The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus.,International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies (ISMEO), Rome, Italy
| | - Christopher E Miller
- SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kaify Ali Mustafa
- General Directorate of Antiquities in Kurdistan, Kurdish Regional Government, Erbil, Iraq
| | - Andreas Nymark
- Department of History, Classics and Archaeology Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Paul Pettitt
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Nohemi Sala
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain
| | - Dennis Sandgathe
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chris Stringer
- CHER, Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Emily Tilby
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Graeme Barker
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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9
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Pereira-Pedro AS, Bruner E, Gunz P, Neubauer S. A morphometric comparison of the parietal lobe in modern humans and Neanderthals. J Hum Evol 2020; 142:102770. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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10
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Evidence for independent brain and neurocranial reorganization during hominin evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:22115-22121. [PMID: 31611399 PMCID: PMC6825280 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1905071116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Human brains differ substantially from those of great apes, and equally important differences exist between their braincases. However, it remains unclear to which extent evolutionary changes in brain structure are related to changes in braincase structure. To study this question, we use combined computed tomography (CT) and MRI head data of humans and chimpanzees and quantify the spatial correlations between brain sulci and cranial sutures. We show that the human brain–braincase relationships are unique compared to chimpanzees and other great apes and that structural rearrangements in the brain and in the braincase emerged independently during human evolution. These data serve as an important frame of reference to identify and quantify evolutionary changes in brain and braincase structures in fossil hominin endocasts. Throughout hominin evolution, the brain of our ancestors underwent a 3-fold increase in size and substantial structural reorganization. However, inferring brain reorganization from fossil hominin neurocrania (=braincases) remains a challenge, above all because comparative data relating brain to neurocranial structures in living humans and great apes are still scarce. Here we use MRI and same-subject spatially aligned computed tomography (CT) and MRI data of humans and chimpanzees to quantify the spatial relationships between these structures, both within and across species. Results indicate that evolutionary changes in brain and neurocranial structures are largely independent of each other. The brains of humans compared to chimpanzees exhibit a characteristic posterior shift of the inferior pre- and postcentral gyri, indicative of reorganization of the frontal opercular region. Changes in human neurocranial structure do not reflect cortical reorganization. Rather, they reflect constraints related to increased encephalization and obligate bipedalism, resulting in relative enlargement of the parietal bones and anterior displacement of the cerebellar fossa. This implies that the relative position and size of neurocranial bones, as well as overall endocranial shape (e.g., globularity), should not be used to make inferences about evolutionary changes in the relative size or reorganization of adjacent cortical regions of fossil hominins.
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11
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Neanderthal clues to brain evolution in humans. Nature 2019; 571:S10-S11. [DOI: 10.1038/d41586-019-02210-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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12
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Mellet E, Salagnon M, Majkić A, Cremona S, Joliot M, Jobard G, Mazoyer B, Tzourio Mazoyer N, d'Errico F. Neuroimaging supports the representational nature of the earliest human engravings. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190086. [PMID: 31417715 PMCID: PMC6689598 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The earliest human graphic productions, consisting of abstract patterns engraved on a variety of media, date to the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. They are associated with anatomically modern and archaic hominins. The nature and significance of these engravings are still under question. To address this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare brain activations triggered by the perception of engraved patterns dating between 540 000 and 30 000 years before the present with those elicited by the perception of scenes, objects, symbol-like characters and written words. The perception of the engravings bilaterally activated regions along the ventral route in a pattern similar to that activated by the perception of objects, suggesting that these graphic productions are processed as organized visual representations in the brain. Moreover, the perception of the engravings led to a leftward activation of the visual word form area. These results support the hypothesis that these engravings have the visual properties of meaningful representations in present-day humans, and could have served such purpose in early modern humans and archaic hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Mellet
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Université de Bordeaux, 33000 BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
- CEA, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - M. Salagnon
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Université de Bordeaux, 33000 BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
- CEA, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - A. Majkić
- PACEA UMR 5199, University Bordeaux, CNRS, Pessac, France
| | - S. Cremona
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Université de Bordeaux, 33000 BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
- CEA, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - M. Joliot
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Université de Bordeaux, 33000 BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
- CEA, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - G. Jobard
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Université de Bordeaux, 33000 BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
- CEA, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - B. Mazoyer
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Université de Bordeaux, 33000 BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
- CEA, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - N. Tzourio Mazoyer
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Université de Bordeaux, 33000 BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
- CEA, GIN, IMN UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - F. d'Errico
- PACEA UMR 5199, University Bordeaux, CNRS, Pessac, France
- SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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13
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Bruner E. Human paleoneurology: Shaping cortical evolution in fossil hominids. J Comp Neurol 2019; 527:1753-1765. [PMID: 30520032 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary neuroanatomy must integrate two different sources of information, namely from fossil and from living species. Fossils supply information concerning the process of evolution, whereas living species supply information on the product of evolution. Unfortunately, the fossil record is partial and fragmented, and often cannot support validations for specific evolutionary hypotheses. Living species can provide more comprehensive indications, but they do not represent ancestral groups or primitive forms. Macaques or chimpanzees are frequently used as proxy for human ancestral conditions, despite the fact they are divergent and specialized lineages, with their own biological features. Similarly, in paleoanthropology independent lineages (such as Neanderthals) should not be confused with ancestral modern human stages. In this comparative framework, paleoneurology deals with the analysis of the endocranial cavity in extinct species, in order to make inferences on brain evolution. A main target of this field is to distinguish the endocranial variations due to brain changes, from those due to cranial constraints. Digital anatomy and computed morphometrics have provided major advances in this field. However, brains and endocasts can be hard to analyze with geometrical models, because of uncertainties due to the localization of cortical landmarks and boundaries. The study of the evolution of the parietal cortex supplies an interesting case-study in which paleontological and neontological data can integrate and test evolutionary hypotheses based on multiple sources of evidence. The relationships with visuospatial functions and brain-body-tool integration stress further that the analysis of the cognitive system should go beyond the neural boundaries of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Bruner
- Programa de Paleobiología de Homínidos, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
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14
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Kuhlwilm M, Boeckx C. A catalog of single nucleotide changes distinguishing modern humans from archaic hominins. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8463. [PMID: 31186485 PMCID: PMC6560109 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44877-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout the past decade, studying ancient genomes has provided unique insights into human prehistory, and differences between modern humans and other branches like Neanderthals can enrich our understanding of the molecular basis of unique modern human traits. Modern human variation and the interactions between different hominin lineages are now well studied, making it reasonable to go beyond fixed genetic changes and explore changes that are observed at high frequency in present-day humans. Here, we identify 571 genes with non-synonymous changes at high frequency. We suggest that molecular mechanisms in cell division and networks affecting cellular features of neurons were prominently modified by these changes. Complex phenotypes in brain growth trajectory and cognitive traits are likely influenced by these networks and other non-coding changes presented here. We propose that at least some of these changes contributed to uniquely human traits, and should be prioritized for experimental validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kuhlwilm
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cedric Boeckx
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain.
- University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- UB Institute of Complex Systems, Barcelona, Spain.
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15
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Poza-Rey EM, Gómez-Robles A, Arsuaga JL. Brain size and organization in the Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos. Inferences from endocranial variation. J Hum Evol 2019; 129:67-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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16
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Cofran Z. Brain size growth in Australopithecus. J Hum Evol 2019; 130:72-82. [PMID: 31010545 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Postnatal growth is one of the proximate means by which humans attain massive adult brain size. Humans are characterized by the maintenance of prenatal brain growth rates into the first postnatal year, as well as an overall extended period of growth. The evolution of this pattern is difficult to assess due to its relatively brief duration and the underrepresentation of well-preserved fossil individuals who died during this short period. In this study, I use Monte Carlo methods to reconstruct postnatal brain growth rates in Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus africanus, based on estimates of neonatal brain size and of likely brain size and age at death of infant specimens (A.L. 333-105, DIK-1-1, and Taung). Neonatal brain size is reconstructed from the empirical scaling relationship among catarrhines which humans follow, and conservative estimates of fossils' chronological ages and brain sizes are drawn from the literature. Simulated distributions of these values are used to calculate average annual rates (ARs) of brain growth and proportional size change from birth (PSC), which are compared to resampled statistics from humans, chimpanzees and gorillas of known age and sex. Simulated ARs and PSCs for A. afarensis are significantly lower than those of chimpanzees and gorillas. Both ARs and PSCs for A. africanus are similar to chimpanzee and gorilla values. These results indicate that although these early hominins were derived in some aspects of brain anatomy, high rates of brain growth did not appear until later in human evolution. Moreover, findings also imply that brain growth rates are not a simple function of adult brain size. This study provides important new information about the evolution of brain growth, despite limitations inherent in fossil samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Cofran
- Anthropology Department, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Box 42, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, USA.
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17
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Gunz P, Tilot AK, Wittfeld K, Teumer A, Shapland CY, van Erp TGM, Dannemann M, Vernot B, Neubauer S, Guadalupe T, Fernández G, Brunner HG, Enard W, Fallon J, Hosten N, Völker U, Profico A, Di Vincenzo F, Manzi G, Kelso J, St Pourcain B, Hublin JJ, Franke B, Pääbo S, Macciardi F, Grabe HJ, Fisher SE. Neandertal Introgression Sheds Light on Modern Human Endocranial Globularity. Curr Biol 2018; 29:120-127.e5. [PMID: 30554901 PMCID: PMC6380688 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.10.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
One of the features that distinguishes modern humans from our extinct relatives and ancestors is a globular shape of the braincase [1-4]. As the endocranium closely mirrors the outer shape of the brain, these differences might reflect altered neural architecture [4, 5]. However, in the absence of fossil brain tissue, the underlying neuroanatomical changes as well as their genetic bases remain elusive. To better understand the biological foundations of modern human endocranial shape, we turn to our closest extinct relatives: the Neandertals. Interbreeding between modern humans and Neandertals has resulted in introgressed fragments of Neandertal DNA in the genomes of present-day non-Africans [6, 7]. Based on shape analyses of fossil skull endocasts, we derive a measure of endocranial globularity from structural MRI scans of thousands of modern humans and study the effects of introgressed fragments of Neandertal DNA on this phenotype. We find that Neandertal alleles on chromosomes 1 and 18 are associated with reduced endocranial globularity. These alleles influence expression of two nearby genes, UBR4 and PHLPP1, which are involved in neurogenesis and myelination, respectively. Our findings show how integration of fossil skull data with archaic genomics and neuroimaging can suggest developmental mechanisms that may contribute to the unique modern human endocranial shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Amanda K Tilot
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310, 6500 AH, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Katharina Wittfeld
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Ellernholzstr. 1-2, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Partner Site Rostock/Greifswald, Ellernholzstr. 1-2, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Alexander Teumer
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Walter-Rathenau Str. 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Chin Yang Shapland
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310, 6500 AH, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Theo G M van Erp
- Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, 5251 California Ave, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Michael Dannemann
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Benjamin Vernot
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Simon Neubauer
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tulio Guadalupe
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310, 6500 AH, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6500 GA, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Han G Brunner
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6500 GA, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Genetics and School for Oncology & Developmental Biology (GROW), Maastricht University Medical Center, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Wolfgang Enard
- Anthropology and Human Genomics, Department Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Grosshaderner Str. 2, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - James Fallon
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Norbert Hosten
- Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Str. 1, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Interfaculty Institute of Genetics and Functional Genomics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 8, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Antonio Profico
- Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Department of Environmental Biology, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - Fabio Di Vincenzo
- Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Department of Environmental Biology, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Roma, Italy; Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, Via Ulisse Aldrovandi, 18, 00197, Roma, Italy
| | - Giorgio Manzi
- Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Department of Environmental Biology, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - Janet Kelso
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Beate St Pourcain
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310, 6500 AH, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Barbara Franke
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Departments of Human Genetics and Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fabio Macciardi
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Sprague Hall - Room 312, Gillespie Neuroscience - Laboratory, Mail Code: 3960, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Hans J Grabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Ellernholzstr. 1-2, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Simon E Fisher
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310, 6500 AH, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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18
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Mandibular ramus shape variation and ontogeny in Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis. J Hum Evol 2018; 121:55-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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19
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Rosas A, Ríos L, Estalrrich A, Liversidge H, García-Tabernero A, Huguet R, Cardoso H, Bastir M, Lalueza-Fox C, de la Rasilla M, Dean C. Response to Comment on "The growth pattern of Neandertals, reconstructed from a juvenile skeleton from El Sidrón (Spain)". Science 2018; 359:359/6380/eaar3820. [PMID: 29590013 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar3820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The comment by DeSilva challenges our suggestion that brain growth of the El Sidrón J1 Neandertal was still incomplete at 7.7 years of age. Evidence suggests that endocranial volume is likely to represent less than 90% adult size at El Sidrón as well as Neandertal male plus Krapina samples, in line with further evidence from endocranial surface histology and dural sinus groove size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Luis Ríos
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Physical Anthropology, Aranzadi Society of Sciences, 20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Almudena Estalrrich
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Helen Liversidge
- Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AD, UK
| | - Antonio García-Tabernero
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa Huguet
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES)-Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Campus Sescelades (Edifici W3), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Hugo Cardoso
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Markus Bastir
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Marco de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Christopher Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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20
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DeSilva JM. Comment on “The growth pattern of Neandertals, reconstructed from a juvenile skeleton from El Sidrón (Spain)”. Science 2018; 359:359/6380/eaar3611. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aar3611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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21
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Viscardi LH, Paixão-Côrtes VR, Comas D, Salzano FM, Rovaris D, Bau CD, Amorim CEG, Bortolini MC. Searching for ancient balanced polymorphisms shared between Neanderthals and Modern Humans. Genet Mol Biol 2018; 41:67-81. [PMID: 29658973 PMCID: PMC5901502 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2017-0308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hominin evolution is characterized by adaptive solutions often rooted in behavioral and cognitive changes. If balancing selection had an important and long-lasting impact on the evolution of these traits, it can be hypothesized that genes associated with them should carry an excess of shared polymorphisms (trans- SNPs) across recent Homo species. In this study, we investigate the role of balancing selection in human evolution using available exomes from modern (Homo sapiens) and archaic humans (H. neanderthalensis and Denisovan) for an excess of trans-SNP in two gene sets: one associated with the immune system (IMMS) and another one with behavioral system (BEHS). We identified a significant excess of trans-SNPs in IMMS (N=547), of which six of these located within genes previously associated with schizophrenia. No excess of trans-SNPs was found in BEHS, but five genes in this system harbor potential signals for balancing selection and are associated with psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders. Our approach evidenced recent Homo trans-SNPs that have been previously implicated in psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, suggesting that a genetic repertoire common to the immune and behavioral systems could have been maintained by balancing selection starting before the split between archaic and modern humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Henriques Viscardi
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - David Comas
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de LaSalut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francisco Mauro Salzano
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Diego Rovaris
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Claiton Dotto Bau
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Carlos Eduardo G. Amorim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, U.S.A
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, U.S.A
| | - Maria Cátira Bortolini
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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22
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Neubauer S, Hublin JJ, Gunz P. The evolution of modern human brain shape. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaao5961. [PMID: 29376123 PMCID: PMC5783678 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao5961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Modern humans have large and globular brains that distinguish them from their extinct Homo relatives. The characteristic globularity develops during a prenatal and early postnatal period of rapid brain growth critical for neural wiring and cognitive development. However, it remains unknown when and how brain globularity evolved and how it relates to evolutionary brain size increase. On the basis of computed tomographic scans and geometric morphometric analyses, we analyzed endocranial casts of Homo sapiens fossils (N = 20) from different time periods. Our data show that, 300,000 years ago, brain size in early H. sapiens already fell within the range of present-day humans. Brain shape, however, evolved gradually within the H. sapiens lineage, reaching present-day human variation between about 100,000 and 35,000 years ago. This process started only after other key features of craniofacial morphology appeared modern and paralleled the emergence of behavioral modernity as seen from the archeological record. Our findings are consistent with important genetic changes affecting early brain development within the H. sapiens lineage since the origin of the species and before the transition to the Later Stone Age and the Upper Paleolithic that mark full behavioral modernity.
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23
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Affiliation(s)
- Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052
| | - Aida Gómez-Robles
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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24
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Neanderthal-Derived Genetic Variation Shapes Modern Human Cranium and Brain. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6308. [PMID: 28740249 PMCID: PMC5524936 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06587-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Before their disappearance from the fossil record approximately 40,000 years ago, Neanderthals, the ancient hominin lineage most closely related to modern humans, interbred with ancestors of present-day humans. The legacy of this gene flow persists through Neanderthal-derived variants that survive in modern human DNA; however, the neural implications of this inheritance are uncertain. Here, using MRI in a large cohort of healthy individuals of European-descent, we show that the amount of Neanderthal-originating polymorphism carried in living humans is related to cranial and brain morphology. First, as a validation of our approach, we demonstrate that a greater load of Neanderthal-derived genetic variants (higher “NeanderScore”) is associated with skull shapes resembling those of known Neanderthal cranial remains, particularly in occipital and parietal bones. Next, we demonstrate convergent NeanderScore-related findings in the brain (measured by gray- and white-matter volume, sulcal depth, and gyrification index) that localize to the visual cortex and intraparietal sulcus. This work provides insights into ancestral human neurobiology and suggests that Neanderthal-derived genetic variation is neurologically functional in the contemporary population.
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25
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26
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Precuneus proportions and cortical folding: A morphometric evaluation on a racially diverse human sample. Ann Anat 2017; 211:120-128. [PMID: 28279731 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent analyses have suggested that the size and proportions of the precuneus are remarkably variable among adult humans, representing a major source of geometrical difference in midsagittal brain morphology. The same area also represents the main midsagittal brain difference between humans and chimpanzees, being more expanded in our species. Enlargement of the upper parietal surface is a specific feature of Homo sapiens, when compared with other fossil hominids, suggesting the involvement of these cortical areas in recent modern human evolution. Here, we provide a survey on midsagittal brain morphology by investigating whether precuneus size represents the largest component of variance within a larger and racially diverse sample of 265 adult humans. Additionally, we investigate the relationship between precuneus shape variation and folding patterns. Precuneus proportions are confirmed to be a major source of human brain variation even when racial variability is considered. Larger precuneus size is associated with additional precuneal gyri, generally in its anterior district. Spatial variation is most pronounced in the dorsal areas, with no apparent differences between hemispheres, between sexes, or among different racial groups. These dorsal areas integrate somatic and visual information together with the lateral elements of the parietal cortex, representing a crucial node for self-centered mental imagery. The histological basis and functional significance of this intra-specific variation in the upper precuneus remains to be evaluated.
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27
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Zollikofer CPE, Bienvenu T, Ponce de León MS. Effects of cranial integration on hominid endocranial shape. J Anat 2017; 230:85-105. [PMID: 27503252 PMCID: PMC5192801 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Because brains do not fossilize, the internal surface of the braincase (endocast) serves as an important source of information about brain growth, development, and evolution. Recent studies of endocranial morphology and development in great apes, fossil hominins, and modern humans have revealed taxon-specific differences. However, it remains to be investigated to which extent differences in endocranial morphology reflect differences in actual brain morphology and development, and to which extent they reflect different interactions of the brain and its case with the cranial base and face. Here we address this question by analyzing the effects of cranial integration on endocranial morphology. We test the 'spatial packing' and 'facial orientation' hypotheses, which propose that size and orientation of the neurocranium relative to the viscerocranium influence endocranial shape. Results show that a substantial proportion of endocranial shape variation along and across ontogenetic trajectories is due to cranial integration. Specifically, the uniquely globular shape of the human endocast mainly results from the combination of an exceptionally large brain with a comparatively small face. Overall, thus, cranial integration has pervasive effects on endocranial morphology, and only a comparatively small proportion of inter- and intra-taxon variation can directly be associated with variation in brain morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thibaut Bienvenu
- Anthropological Institute and MuseumUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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