1
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Boussard A, Ahlkvist M, Corral-López A, Fong S, Fitzpatrick J, Kolm N. Relative telencephalon size does not affect collective motion in the guppy ( Poecilia reticulata). Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae033. [PMID: 38779596 PMCID: PMC11110457 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Collective motion is common across all animal taxa, from swarming insects to schools of fish. The collective motion requires intricate behavioral integration among individuals, yet little is known about how evolutionary changes in brain morphology influence the ability for individuals to coordinate behavior in groups. In this study, we utilized guppies that were selectively bred for relative telencephalon size, an aspect of brain morphology that is normally associated with advanced cognitive functions, to examine its role in collective motion using an open-field assay. We analyzed high-resolution tracking data of same-sex shoals consisting of 8 individuals to assess different aspects of collective motion, such as alignment, attraction to nearby shoal members, and swimming speed. Our findings indicate that variation in collective motion in guppy shoals might not be strongly affected by variation in relative telencephalon size. Our study suggests that group dynamics in collectively moving animals are likely not driven by advanced cognitive functions but rather by fundamental cognitive processes stemming from relatively simple rules among neighboring individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Boussard
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mikaela Ahlkvist
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alberto Corral-López
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Stephanie Fong
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John Fitzpatrick
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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2
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Stimpson CD, Smaers JB, Raghanti MA, Phillips KA, Jacobs B, Hopkins WD, Hof PR, Sherwood CC. Evolutionary scaling and cognitive correlates of primate frontal cortex microstructure. Brain Struct Funct 2023:10.1007/s00429-023-02719-7. [PMID: 37889302 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02719-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Investigating evolutionary changes in frontal cortex microstructure is crucial to understanding how modifications of neuron and axon distributions contribute to phylogenetic variation in cognition. In the present study, we characterized microstructural components of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and primary motor cortex from 14 primate species using measurements of neuropil fraction and immunohistochemical markers for fast-spiking inhibitory interneurons, large pyramidal projection neuron subtypes, serotonergic innervation, and dopaminergic innervation. Results revealed that the rate of evolutionary change was similar across these microstructural variables, except for neuropil fraction, which evolves more slowly and displays the strongest correlation with brain size. We also found that neuropil fraction in orbitofrontal cortex layers V-VI was associated with cross-species variation in performance on experimental tasks that measure self-control. These findings provide insight into the evolutionary reorganization of the primate frontal cortex in relation to brain size scaling and its association with cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl D Stimpson
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- DoD/USU Brain Tissue Repository and Neuropathology Program, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD, USA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jeroen B Smaers
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Mary Ann Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - Kimberley A Phillips
- Department of Psychology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Bob Jacobs
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
| | - William D Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, M D Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Center for Discovery and Innovation, and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
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3
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Dunbar RIM, Shultz S. Four errors and a fallacy: pitfalls for the unwary in comparative brain analyses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1278-1309. [PMID: 37001905 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Comparative analyses are the backbone of evolutionary analysis. However, their record in producing a consensus has not always been good. This is especially true of attempts to understand the factors responsible for the evolution of large brains, which have been embroiled in an increasingly polarised debate over the past three decades. We argue that most of these disputes arise from a number of conceptual errors and associated logical fallacies that are the result of a failure to adopt a biological systems-based approach to hypothesis-testing. We identify four principal classes of error: a failure to heed Tinbergen's Four Questions when testing biological hypotheses, misapplying Dobzhansky's Dictum when testing hypotheses of evolutionary adaptation, poorly chosen behavioural proxies for underlying hypotheses, and the use of inappropriate statistical methods. In the interests of progress, we urge a more careful and considered approach to comparative analyses, and the adoption of a broader, rather than a narrower, taxonomic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin I M Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Anna Watts Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Susanne Shultz
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
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4
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Triki Z, Fong S, Amcoff M, Vàsquez-Nilsson S, Kolm N. Experimental expansion of relative telencephalon size improves the main executive function abilities in guppy. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad129. [PMID: 37346268 PMCID: PMC10281379 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Executive functions are a set of cognitive control processes required for optimizing goal-directed behavior. Despite more than two centuries of research on executive functions, mostly in humans and nonhuman primates, there is still a knowledge gap in what constitutes the mechanistic basis of evolutionary variation in executive function abilities. Here, we show experimentally that size changes in a forebrain structure (i.e. telencephalon) underlie individual variation in executive function capacities in a fish. For this, we used male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) issued from artificial selection lines with substantial differences in telencephalon size relative to the rest of the brain. We tested fish from the up- and down-selected lines not only in three tasks for the main core executive functions: cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory, but also in a basic conditioning test that does not require executive functions. Individuals with relatively larger telencephalons outperformed individuals with smaller telencephalons in all three executive function assays but not in the conditioning assay. Based on our findings, we propose that the telencephalon is the executive brain in teleost fish. Together, it suggests that selective enlargement of key brain structures with distinct functions, like the fish telencephalon, is a potent evolutionary pathway toward evolutionary enhancement of advanced cognitive abilities in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephanie Fong
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 18 B, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden
| | - Mirjam Amcoff
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 18 B, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden
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5
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Bleichman I, Yadav P, Ayali A. Visual processing and collective motion-related decision-making in desert locusts. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20221862. [PMID: 36651041 PMCID: PMC9845972 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Collectively moving groups of animals rely on the decision-making of locally interacting individuals in order to maintain swarm cohesion. However, the complex and noisy visual environment poses a major challenge to the extraction and processing of relevant information. We addressed this challenge by studying swarming-related decision-making in desert locust last-instar nymphs. Controlled visual stimuli, in the form of random dot kinematograms, were presented to tethered locust nymphs in a trackball set-up, while monitoring movement trajectory and walking parameters. In a complementary set of experiments, the neurophysiological basis of the observed behavioural responses was explored. Our results suggest that locusts use filtering and discrimination upon encountering multiple stimuli simultaneously. Specifically, we show that locusts are sensitive to differences in speed at the individual conspecific level, and to movement coherence at the group level, and may use these to filter out non-relevant stimuli. The locusts also discriminate and assign different weights to different stimuli, with an observed interactive effect of stimulus size, relative abundance and motion direction. Our findings provide insights into the cognitive abilities of locusts in the domain of decision-making and visual-based collective motion, and support locusts as a model for investigating sensory-motor integration and motion-related decision-making in the intricate swarm environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pratibha Yadav
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Israel,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Israel
| | - Amir Ayali
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Israel,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Israel
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6
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Wang J, Weatheritt R, Voineagu I. Alu-minating the Mechanisms Underlying Primate Cortex Evolution. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 92:760-771. [PMID: 35981906 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The higher-order cognitive functions observed in primates correlate with the evolutionary enhancement of cortical volume and folding, which in turn are driven by the primate-specific expansion of cellular diversity in the developing cortex. Underlying these changes is the diversification of molecular features including the creation of human and/or primate-specific genes, the activation of specific molecular pathways, and the interplay of diverse layers of gene regulation. We review and discuss evidence for connections between Alu elements and primate brain evolution, the evolutionary milestones of which are known to coincide along primate lineages. Alus are repetitive elements that contribute extensively to the acquisition of novel genes and the expansion of diverse gene regulatory layers, including enhancers, alternative splicing, RNA editing, and microRNA pathways. By reviewing the impact of Alus on molecular features linked to cortical expansions or gyrification or implications in cognitive deficits, we suggest that future research focusing on the role of Alu-derived molecular events in the context of brain development may greatly advance our understanding of higher-order cognitive functions and neurologic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juli Wang
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Robert Weatheritt
- St Vincent Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Garvan Institute of Medical Research, EMBL Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Irina Voineagu
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Cellular Genomics Futures Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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7
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Shultz S, Dunbar RIM. Socioecological complexity in primate groups and its cognitive correlates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210296. [PMID: 35934968 PMCID: PMC9358314 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterizing non-human primate social complexity and its cognitive bases has proved challenging. Using principal component analyses, we show that primate social, ecological and reproductive behaviours condense into two components: socioecological complexity (including most social and ecological variables) and reproductive cooperation (comprising mainly a suite of behaviours associated with pairbonded monogamy). We contextualize these results using a meta-analysis of 44 published analyses of primate brain evolution. These studies yield two main consistent results: cognition, sociality and cooperative behaviours are associated with absolute brain volume, neocortex size and neocortex ratio, whereas diet composition and life history are consistently associated with relative brain size. We use a path analysis to evaluate the causal relationships among these variables, demonstrating that social group size is predicted by the neocortex, whereas ecological traits are predicted by the volume of brain structures other than the neocortex. That a range of social and technical behaviours covary, and are correlated with social group size and brain size, suggests that primate cognition has evolved along a continuum resulting in an increasingly flexible, domain-general capacity to solve a range of socioecological challenges culminating in a capacity for, and reliance on, innovation and social information use in the great apes and humans. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cognition, communication and social bonds in primates'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Shultz
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Robin I M Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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8
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de Chevalier G, Bouret S, Bardo A, Simmen B, Garcia C, Prat S. Cost-Benefit Trade-Offs of Aquatic Resource Exploitation in the Context of Hominin Evolution. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.812804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While the exploitation of aquatic fauna and flora has been documented in several primate species to date, the evolutionary contexts and mechanisms behind the emergence of this behavior in both human and non-human primates remain largely overlooked. Yet, this issue is particularly important for our understanding of human evolution, as hominins represent not only the primate group with the highest degree of adaptedness to aquatic environments, but also the only group in which true coastal and maritime adaptations have evolved. As such, in the present study we review the available literature on primate foraging strategies related to the exploitation of aquatic resources and their putative associated cognitive operations. We propose that aquatic resource consumption in extant primates can be interpreted as a highly site-specific behavioral expression of a generic adaptive foraging decision-making process, emerging in sites at which the local cost-benefit trade-offs contextually favor aquatic over terrestrial foods. Within this framework, we discuss the potential impacts that the unique intensification of this behavior in hominins may have had on the evolution of the human brain and spatial ecology.
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9
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Triki Z, Fong S, Amcoff M, Kolm N. Artificial mosaic brain evolution of relative telencephalon size improves inhibitory control abilities in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Evolution 2021; 76:128-138. [PMID: 34806770 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Mosaic brain evolution, the change in the size of separate brain regions in response to selection on cognitive performance, is an important idea in the field of cognitive evolution. However, untill now, most of the data on how separate brain regions respond to selection and their cognitive consequences stem from comparative studies. To experimentally investigate the influence of mosaic brain evolution on cognitive ability, we used male guppies artificially selected for large and small telencephalons relative to the rest of the brain. Here, we tested an important aspect of executive cognitive ability using a detour task. We found that males with larger telencephalons outperformed males with smaller telencephalons. Fish with larger telencephalons showed faster improvement in performance during detour training and were more successful in reaching the food reward without touching the transparent barrier (i.e., through correct detouring) during the test phase. Together, our findings provide the first experimental evidence showing that evolutionary enlargement of relative telencephalon size confers cognitive benefits, supporting an important role for mosaic brain evolution during cognitive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zegni Triki
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stephanie Fong
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mirjam Amcoff
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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10
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Aellen M, Dufour V, Bshary R. Cleaner fish and other wrasse match primates in their ability to delay gratification. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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11
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Dunbar RIM, Shultz S. Social complexity and the fractal structure of group size in primate social evolution. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1889-1906. [PMID: 33945202 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Compared to most other mammals and birds, anthropoid primates have unusually complex societies characterised by bonded social groups. Among primates, this effect is encapsulated in the social brain hypothesis: the robust correlation between various indices of social complexity (social group size, grooming clique size, tactical behaviour, coalition formation) and brain size. Hitherto, this has always been interpreted as a simple, unitary relationship. Using data for five different indices of brain volume from four independent brain databases, we show that the distribution of group size plotted against brain size is best described as a set of four distinct, very narrowly defined grades which are unrelated to phylogeny. The allocation of genera to these grades is highly consistent across the different data sets and brain indices. We show that these grades correspond to the progressive evolution of bonded social groups. In addition, we show, for those species that live in multilevel social systems, that the typical sizes of the different grouping levels in each case coincide with different grades. This suggests that the grades correspond to demographic attractors that are especially stable. Using five different cognitive indices, we show that the grades correlate with increasing social cognitive skills, suggesting that the cognitive demands of managing group cohesion increase progressively across grades. We argue that the grades themselves represent glass ceilings on animals' capacity to maintain social and spatial coherence during foraging and that, in order to evolve more highly bonded groups, species have to be able to invest in costly forms of cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin I M Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 1GG, UK
| | - Susanne Shultz
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
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12
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Triki Z, Emery Y, Teles MC, Oliveira RF, Bshary R. Brain morphology predicts social intelligence in wild cleaner fish. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6423. [PMID: 33349638 PMCID: PMC7752907 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20130-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
It is generally agreed that variation in social and/or environmental complexity yields variation in selective pressures on brain anatomy, where more complex brains should yield increased intelligence. While these insights are based on many evolutionary studies, it remains unclear how ecology impacts brain plasticity and subsequently cognitive performance within a species. Here, we show that in wild cleaner fish (Labroides dimidiatus), forebrain size of high-performing individuals tested in an ephemeral reward task covaried positively with cleaner density, while cerebellum size covaried negatively with cleaner density. This unexpected relationship may be explained if we consider that performance in this task reflects the decision rules that individuals use in nature rather than learning abilities: cleaners with relatively larger forebrains used decision-rules that appeared to be locally optimal. Thus, social competence seems to be a suitable proxy of intelligence to understand individual differences under natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zegni Triki
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 18 B, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Yasmin Emery
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Magda C Teles
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Rui F Oliveira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal
- ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Redouan Bshary
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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13
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Illendula M, Osuru HP, Ferrarese B, Atluri N, Dulko E, Zuo Z, Lunardi N. Surgery, Anesthesia and Intensive Care Environment Induce Delirium-Like Behaviors and Impairment of Synaptic Function-Related Gene Expression in Aged Mice. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:542421. [PMID: 33088271 PMCID: PMC7544741 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.542421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To establish a clinically relevant mouse model of perioperative delirium. Methods Aged C57BL/6J mice were tested at baseline in the Y-maze novel arm preference, buried food, simple discrimination task of the attentional set-shifting test, and open field tests. They were subsequently randomized to insult (anesthesia, surgery, and Intensive Care Unit environment) or control group. Insult-exposed mice received laparotomy under sevoflurane anesthesia, propofol sedation and exposure to intermittent lights, sounds and cage shaking. Controls did not receive anesthesia, surgery, or intensive care environment. All mice were tested in the Y-maze novel arm preference, buried food, attentional, and open field tests at the end of intensive care environment (0 h) and every 6 h up to 24 h. Mouse hippocampi were collected at 24 h for gene expression analyses. Results Surgery, anesthesia and Intensive Care environment decreased the entries in the Y-maze novel arm at 0 h (P = 0.001), 6 h (P < 0.001), 18 h (P = 0.002), and 24 h (P = 0.029). Insult exposure increased the latency to find a buried cereal reward at 18 h (P = 0.035) and 24 h (P = 0.027), and increased the trials to criterion in the reverse compound discrimination (P = 0.013) and extradimensional shift (P < 0.001) tasks of the attentional test. The overall incidence of delirium was 72% in A/S/I mice. Messenger RNA levels of synuclein alpha (-3.785 fold change relative to controls), Neurotrophic Receptor Tyrosine Kinase1 (-2.267), and syntaxin1a (-1.498) were decreased in the hippocampus of mice 24 h after insult exposure. Protein levels of syntaxin 1a (P = 0.012), Neurotrophic Receptor Tyrosine Kinase1 (P = 0.039), synuclein alpha (P = 0.017), phosphorylated synuclein alpha (P = 0.008), synaptophysin (P = 0.002), postsynaptic density protein 95 (P = 0.003), and microtubule-associated protein 2 (P = 0.013) were also decreased, relative to controls. Conclusion Surgery, anesthesia and Intensive Care environment impaired mouse behaviors that depend on attention, memory, and thought organization. The changes were acute in onset and fluctuating in time. Mice with delirium exhibited decreased expression of key synaptic function-related genes. The behavioral changes induced by anesthesia, surgery, and Intensive Care environment in aged mice are consistent with the clinical features of human delirium, and support the use of this animal model for future mechanistic studies of perioperative delirium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghana Illendula
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Hari Prasad Osuru
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Bianca Ferrarese
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Navya Atluri
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Elzbieta Dulko
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Zhiyi Zuo
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Nadia Lunardi
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, United States
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14
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Drisaldi B, Colnaghi L, Levine A, Huang Y, Snyder AM, Metzger DJ, Theis M, Kandel DB, Kandel ER, Fioriti L. Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding Proteins CPEB1 and CPEB3 Regulate the Translation of FosB and Are Required for Maintaining Addiction-Like Behaviors Induced by Cocaine. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:207. [PMID: 32742260 PMCID: PMC7365288 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A recurrent and devastating feature of addiction to a drug of abuse is its persistence, which is mediated by maladaptive long-term memories of the highly pleasurable experience initially associated with the consumption of the drug. We have recently found that members of the CPEB family of proteins (Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element-Binding Proteins) are involved in the maintenance of spatial memory. However, their possible role in the maintenance of memories that sustain addictive behavior has yet to be explored. Little is known about any of the mechanisms for maintaining memories for addictive behavior. To address the mechanisms whereby addictive behavior is maintained over time, we utilized a conditional transgenic mouse model expressing a dominant-negative version of CPEB1 that abolishes the activity in the forebrain of two of the four CPEB isoforms (CPEB1 and CPEB3). We found that, following cocaine administration, these dominant-negative (DN) CPEB mice showed a significant decrease, when compared to wild type (WT) mice, in both locomotor sensitizations and conditioned place preference (CPP), two indices of addictive behavior. Supporting these behavioral results, we also found a difference between WT and DN-CPEB1-3 mice in the cocaine-induced synaptic depression in the core of the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc). Finally, we found that (1) CPEB is reduced in transgenic mice following cocaine injections and that (2) FosB, known for its contribution to establishing the addictive phenotype, when its expression in the striatum is increased by drug administration, is a novel target of CPEBs molecules. Thus, our study highlights how CPEB1 and CPEB3 act on target mRNAs to build the neuroadaptative implicit memory responses that lead to the development of the cocaine addictive phenotypes in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Drisaldi
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Luca Colnaghi
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Amir Levine
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - YanYou Huang
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Anna M Snyder
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Daniel J Metzger
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Martin Theis
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Denise B Kandel
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Epidemiology of Substance Abuse, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Eric R Kandel
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, United States
| | - Luana Fioriti
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.,Dulbecco Telethon Institute, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
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15
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Bastos APM, Taylor AH. Macphail’s Null Hypothesis of Vertebrate Intelligence: Insights From Avian Cognition. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1692. [PMID: 32733351 PMCID: PMC7360938 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Macphail famously criticized two foundational assumptions that underlie the evolutionary approach to comparative psychology: that there are differences in intelligence across species, and that intelligent behavior in animals is based on more than associative learning. Here, we provide evidence from recent work in avian cognition that supports both these assumptions: intelligence across species varies, and animals can perform intelligent behaviors that are not guided solely by associative learning mechanisms. Finally, we reflect on the limitations of comparative psychology that led to Macphail’s claims and suggest strategies researchers can use to make more advances in the field.
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16
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Fernandes HB, Peñaherrera-Aguirre M, Woodley of Menie MA, Figueredo AJ. Macroevolutionary patterns and selection modes for general intelligence (G) and for commonly used neuroanatomical volume measures in primates. INTELLIGENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2020.101456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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17
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Alarcón JA, Velasco-Torres M, Rosas A, Galindo-Moreno P, Catena A. Relationship between vertical facial pattern and brain structure and shape. Clin Oral Investig 2020; 24:1499-1508. [PMID: 32034547 DOI: 10.1007/s00784-020-03227-2] [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: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Dolichofacial (long-faced) and brachyfacial (short-faced) individuals show specific and well-differentiated craniofacial morphology. Here, we hypothesise that differences in the basicranial orientation and topology between dolicho- and brachyfacial subjects could be associated with differences in the supporting brain tissues. MATERIAL AND METHODS Brain volumes (total intracranial, grey matter, and white matter volume), cortical thickness, and the volumes and shapes of fifteen subcortical nuclei were assessed on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging in 185 subjects. Global, voxel-wise and shape analyses, as well as multiple regression models, were generated to evaluate the association between vertical facial variations (dolicho- and brachyfacial spectrum) and brain morphology. RESULTS Several differences in brain anatomy between dolicho- and brachyfacial subjects, along with relevant associations between vertical facial indices and brain structure and shape, were found. The most relevant finding of this study is related to the strong association of vertical facial indices with the volumes and shapes of subcortical nuclei, as the dolichofacial pattern increased, the bilateral hippocampus and brain stem expanded, while the left caudate, right pallidus, right amygdala, and right accumbens decreased in volume. CONCLUSIONS Long- and short-faced human subjects present differences in brain structure and shape. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANT The results of our study increase the clinician's knowledge about brain structure in dolicho- and brachyfacial patients. The findings could be of interest since the affected brain areas are involved in higher cognitive functions in humans, including language, memory, and attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Antonio Alarcón
- Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
| | - Miguel Velasco-Torres
- Department of Oral Radiology, School of Dentistry, University of Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo Galindo-Moreno
- Department of Oral Surgery and Implant Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Andrés Catena
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain
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18
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Schilder BM, Petry HM, Hof PR. Evolutionary shifts dramatically reorganized the human hippocampal complex. J Comp Neurol 2019; 528:3143-3170. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian M. Schilder
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York
| | - Heywood M. Petry
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville Louisville Kentucky
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York
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19
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Pearce E, Wlodarski R, Machin A, Dunbar RIM. Genetic Influences on Social Relationships: Sex Differences in the Mediating Role of Personality and Social Cognition. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-019-00120-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
In humans (and primates more generally), evolutionary fitness arises by two separate routes: conventional reproduction build around dyadic relationships and, reflecting the processes of group augmentation selection, how well individuals are embedded in their community. These processes are facilitated by a suite of genetically inherited neuroendocrines and neurotransmitters. It is not, however, known whether these effects are directly due to genetic factors or are mediated by aspects of personality, or whether there are sex differences in the way this is organised.
Methods
We examine whether dispositional factors related to the processing of social information, such as personality (Big 5 and Impulsivity), attachment style (Anxious and Avoidant dimensions) and sociocognitive capacity (emotion recognition) mediate associations between variation in receptor genes for oxytocin, vasopressin, beta-endorphin, dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and two core social relationship indices (the Sociosexual Orientation Index [SOI] and Support Network size).
Results
In men, variation in dopamine genes indirectly influences SOI through its effect on Impulsivity. In contrast, in women, variation in endorphin and vasopressin genes independently affect Openness to Experience, which mediates indirect effects of these genes on SOI. Moreover, endorphin gene variation also impacts on Network Size in women (but not men), via Extraversion.
Conclusions
These findings reveal that dispositional aspects of personality mediate some genetic effects on behaviour, thereby extending our understanding of how genetic and dispositional variation interact to determine individual differences in human sexual and social cognition and behaviour. The differences between the sexes seem to reflect differences in the two sexes’ social strategies.
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20
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Todorov OS, Weisbecker V, Gilissen E, Zilles K, de Sousa AA. Primate hippocampus size and organization are predicted by sociality but not diet. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191712. [PMID: 31662078 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus is well known for its roles in spatial navigation and memory, but it is organized into regions that have different connections and functional specializations. Notably, the region CA2 has a role in social and not spatial cognition, as is the case for the regions CA1 and CA3 that surround it. Here, we investigated the evolution of the hippocampus in terms of its size and organization in relation to the evolution of social and ecological variables in primates, namely home range, diet and different measures of group size. We found that the volumes within the whole cornu ammonis coevolve with group size, while only the volume of CA1 and subiculum can also be predicted by home range. On the other hand, diet, expressed as a shift from folivory towards frugivory, was shown to not be related to hippocampal volume. Interestingly, CA2 was shown to exhibit phylogenetic signal only against certain measures of group size, but not with ecological factors. We also found that sex differences in the hippocampus are related to body size sex dimorphism. This is in line with reports of sex differences in hippocampal volume in non-primates that are related to social structure and sex differences in behaviour. Our findings support the notion that in primates, the hippocampus is a mosaic structure evolving in line with social pressures, where certain subsections evolve in line with spatial ability too.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orlin S Todorov
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Vera Weisbecker
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Emmanuel Gilissen
- Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg, 3080 Tervuren, Belgium.,Laboratory of Histology and Neuropathology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karl Zilles
- Research Centre Jülich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Jülich, Germany
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21
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Isomura T, Parr T, Friston K. Bayesian Filtering with Multiple Internal Models: Toward a Theory of Social Intelligence. Neural Comput 2019; 31:2390-2431. [PMID: 31614100 DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_01239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
To exhibit social intelligence, animals have to recognize whom they are communicating with. One way to make this inference is to select among internal generative models of each conspecific who may be encountered. However, these models also have to be learned via some form of Bayesian belief updating. This induces an interesting problem: When receiving sensory input generated by a particular conspecific, how does an animal know which internal model to update? We consider a theoretical and neurobiologically plausible solution that enables inference and learning of the processes that generate sensory inputs (e.g., listening and understanding) and reproduction of those inputs (e.g., talking or singing), under multiple generative models. This is based on recent advances in theoretical neurobiology-namely, active inference and post hoc (online) Bayesian model selection. In brief, this scheme fits sensory inputs under each generative model. Model parameters are then updated in proportion to the probability that each model could have generated the input (i.e., model evidence). The proposed scheme is demonstrated using a series of (real zebra finch) birdsongs, where each song is generated by several different birds. The scheme is implemented using physiologically plausible models of birdsong production. We show that generalized Bayesian filtering, combined with model selection, leads to successful learning across generative models, each possessing different parameters. These results highlight the utility of having multiple internal models when making inferences in social environments with multiple sources of sensory information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Isomura
- Laboratory for Neural Computation and Adaptation, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Thomas Parr
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3AR, U.K.
| | - Karl Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3AR, U.K.
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22
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Whatever you want: Inconsistent results are the rule, not the exception, in the study of primate brain evolution. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218655. [PMID: 31329603 PMCID: PMC6645455 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Primate brains differ in size and architecture. Hypotheses to explain this variation are numerous and many tests have been carried out. However, after body size has been accounted for there is little left to explain. The proposed explanatory variables for the residual variation are many and covary, both with each other and with body size. Further, the data sets used in analyses have been small, especially in light of the many proposed predictors. Here we report the complete list of models that results from exhaustively combining six commonly used predictors of brain and neocortex size. This provides an overview of how the output from standard statistical analyses changes when the inclusion of different predictors is altered. By using both the most commonly tested brain data set and the inclusion of new data we show that the choice of included variables fundamentally changes the conclusions as to what drives primate brain evolution. Our analyses thus reveal why studies have had troubles replicating earlier results and instead have come to such different conclusions. Although our results are somewhat disheartening, they highlight the importance of scientific rigor when trying to answer difficult questions. It is our position that there is currently no empirical justification to highlight any particular hypotheses, of those adaptive hypotheses we have examined here, as the main determinant of primate brain evolution.
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23
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Subias L, Griffin AS, Guez D. Inference by exclusion in the red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii). Integr Zool 2019; 14:193-203. [PMID: 29316266 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Inference by exclusion is the ability to select a given option by excluding the others. When designed appropriately, tests of this ability can reveal choices that cannot be explained by associative processes. Over the past decade, exclusion reasoning has been explored in several non-human taxonomic groups, including birds, mainly in Corvids and Parrots. To increase our understanding of the taxonomic distribution of exclusion reasoning and, therefore, its evolution, we investigated exclusion performances in red-tailed black cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksii), an Australian relative of the Goffin cockatoo (Cacatua goffini), using a food-finding task. Cockatoos were required to find a food item hidden in 1 of the 2 experimenter's hands. Following training sessions in which they reliably selected the closed baited hand they had just been shown open, each individual was tested on 4 different conditions. Critical to demonstrating exclusion reasoning was the condition in which they were shown the empty hand and then offered a choice of both closed hands. The performance of all birds was above chance on all experimental conditions but not on an olfactory and/or cuing control condition. The results suggest that the birds might be able to infer by exclusion, although an explanation based on rule learning cannot be excluded. This first experiment in red-tailed black cockatoo highlights the potential of this species as a model to study avian cognition and paves the pathway for future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorraine Subias
- School of Psychology, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - Andrea S Griffin
- School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
| | - David Guez
- School of Psychology, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
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24
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Horschler DJ, Hare B, Call J, Kaminski J, Miklósi Á, MacLean EL. Absolute brain size predicts dog breed differences in executive function. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:187-198. [PMID: 30607673 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-018-01234-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Large-scale phylogenetic studies of animal cognition have revealed robust links between absolute brain volume and species differences in executive function. However, past comparative samples have been composed largely of primates, which are characterized by evolutionarily derived neural scaling rules. Therefore, it is currently unknown whether positive associations between brain volume and executive function reflect a broad-scale evolutionary phenomenon, or alternatively, a unique consequence of primate brain evolution. Domestic dogs provide a powerful opportunity for investigating this question due to their close genetic relatedness, but vast intraspecific variation. Using citizen science data on more than 7000 purebred dogs from 74 breeds, and controlling for genetic relatedness between breeds, we identify strong relationships between estimated absolute brain weight and breed differences in cognition. Specifically, larger-brained breeds performed significantly better on measures of short-term memory and self-control. However, the relationships between estimated brain weight and other cognitive measures varied widely, supporting domain-specific accounts of cognitive evolution. Our results suggest that evolutionary increases in brain size are positively associated with taxonomic differences in executive function, even in the absence of primate-like neuroanatomy. These findings also suggest that variation between dog breeds may present a powerful model for investigating correlated changes in neuroanatomy and cognition among closely related taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian Hare
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Josep Call
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Juliane Kaminski
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Ádám Miklósi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Evan L MacLean
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
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25
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Beaudet A, Du A, Wood B. Evolution of the modern human brain. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2019; 250:219-250. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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26
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Dunbar R. Social structure as a strategy to mitigate the costs of group living: a comparison of gelada and guereza monkeys. Anim Behav 2018; 136:53-64. [PMID: 29497179 PMCID: PMC5825386 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, and especially primates, group size and social complexity are typically correlated. However, we have no general explanation why this is so. I suggest that the answer may lie in one of the costs of group living: mammalian reproductive endocrinology is extremely sensitive to stress, and forms one of the hidden costs of living in groups. Fertility declines with group size widely across the social mammals, including primates, and will ultimately place a constraint on group size. However, some species seem to have been able to mitigate this cost by forming bonded relationships that reduce the impact of experienced aggression, even if rates of aggression remain high. The downside is that they reduce network connectivity and hence risk fragmenting the group by providing fracture lines for group fission. To explore this, I compare network indices and fertility patterns across the same range of group sizes for two species of Old World monkeys, Colobus guereza and Theropithecus gelada: the former relatively unsocial, the latter intensely social with frequent use of grooming-based alliances. Compared to those of the guereza, gelada social networks lose density more slowly, maintain connectedness more effectively and are less likely to fragment as they increase in size. Although fertility declines with group size in both species, in gelada the impact of this effect is deferred to larger group sizes. The differences in fertility and network structure both predict the very different maximum group sizes typical of these two species, as well as the typical sizes at which their groups undergo fission. This finding may explain aspects of wider mammalian sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- R.I.M. Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland
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27
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Devaine M, San-Galli A, Trapanese C, Bardino G, Hano C, Saint Jalme M, Bouret S, Masi S, Daunizeau J. Reading wild minds: A computational assay of Theory of Mind sophistication across seven primate species. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005833. [PMID: 29112973 PMCID: PMC5693450 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory of Mind (ToM), i.e. the ability to understand others' mental states, endows humans with highly adaptive social skills such as teaching or deceiving. Candidate evolutionary explanations have been proposed for the unique sophistication of human ToM among primates. For example, the Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis states that the increasing complexity of social networks may have induced a demand for sophisticated ToM. This type of scenario ignores neurocognitive constraints that may eventually be crucial limiting factors for ToM evolution. In contradistinction, the cognitive scaffolding hypothesis asserts that a species' opportunity to develop sophisticated ToM is mostly determined by its general cognitive capacity (on which ToM is scaffolded). However, the actual relationships between ToM sophistication and either brain volume (a proxy for general cognitive capacity) or social group size (a proxy for social network complexity) are unclear. Here, we let 39 individuals sampled from seven non-human primate species (lemurs, macaques, mangabeys, orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees) engage in simple dyadic games against artificial ToM players (via a familiar human caregiver). Using computational analyses of primates' choice sequences, we found that the probability of exhibiting a ToM-compatible learning style is mainly driven by species' brain volume (rather than by social group size). Moreover, primates' social cognitive sophistication culminates in a precursor form of ToM, which still falls short of human fully-developed ToM abilities. The contribution of Theory of Mind (ToM), i.e. the ability to understand others' mental states, to the cognitive toolkit of non-human animal species (including primates), is fiercely disputed. We contribute to this debate by (i) proposing a computational definition of ToM sophistication that is amenable to behavioural testing in non-human primates (which we had previously validated in humans), and (ii) performing a balanced comparison of seven primates species (from lemurs to monkeys to great apes). In turn, our study provides an unprecedented computational insight into the evolutionary roots of human social intelligence. In particular, we provide empirical evidence against the common-sense idea that sophisticated ToM evolved mostly as an "on-demand" response to social challenges posed by big herds. Rather, the evolution of sophisticated ToM seems to be mainly determined by neurobiological limiting factors such as the species' "cognitive reservoir". En passant, we identify an evolutionary gap between great apes and humans, in terms of the sophistication of their respective ToM skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Devaine
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France
- INSERM UMR S975, Paris, France
| | - Aurore San-Galli
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France
- INSERM UMR S975, Paris, France
| | | | - Giulia Bardino
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France
- Universita La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Michel Saint Jalme
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7206, Paris, France
- Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes, Paris, France
| | - Sebastien Bouret
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France
- INSERM UMR S975, Paris, France
| | - Shelly Masi
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7206, Paris, France
| | - Jean Daunizeau
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France
- INSERM UMR S975, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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28
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Xu S, Sun X, Niu X, Zhang Z, Tian R, Ren W, Zhou K, Yang G. Genetic basis of brain size evolution in cetaceans: insights from adaptive evolution of seven primary microcephaly (MCPH) genes. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:206. [PMID: 28851290 PMCID: PMC5576371 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-1051-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cetacean brain size expansion is an enigmatic event in mammalian evolution, yet its genetic basis remains poorly explored. Here, all exons of the seven primary microcephaly (MCPH) genes that play key roles in size regulation during brain development were investigated in representative cetacean lineages. RESULTS Sequences of MCPH2-7 genes were intact in cetaceans but frameshift mutations and stop codons was identified in MCPH1. Extensive positive selection was identified in four of six intact MCPH genes: WDR62, CDK5RAP2, CEP152, and ASPM. Specially, positive selection at CDK5RAP2 and ASPM were examined along lineages of odontocetes with increased encephalization quotients (EQ) and mysticetes with reduced EQ but at WDR62 only found along odontocete lineages. Interestingly, a positive association between evolutionary rate (ω) and EQ was identified for CDK5RAP2 and ASPM. Furthermore, we tested the binding affinities between Calmodulin (CaM) and ASPM IQ motif in cetaceans because only CaM combined with IQ, can ASPM perform the function in determining brain size. Preliminary function assay showed binding affinities between CaM and IQ motif of the odontocetes with increased EQ was stronger than for the mysticetes with decreased EQ. In addition, evolution rate of ASPM and CDK5RAP2 were significantly related to mean group size (as one measure of social complexity). CONCLUSIONS Our study investigated the genetic basis of cetacean brain size evolution. Significant positive selection was examined along lineages with both increased and decreased EQ at CDK5RAP2 and ASPM, which is well matched with cetacean complex brain size evolution. Evolutionary rate of CDK5RAP2 and ASPM were significantly related to EQ, suggesting that these two genes may have contributed to EQ expansion in cetaceans. This suggestion was further indicated by our preliminary function test that ASPM might be mainly linked to evolutionary increases in EQ. Most strikingly, our results suggested that cetaceans evolved large brains to manage complex social systems, consisting with the 'social brain hypothesis', as evolutionary rate of ASPM and CDK5RAP2 were significantly related to mean group size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shixia Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Xiaohui Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Xu Niu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Zepeng Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Ran Tian
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Wenhua Ren
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Kaiya Zhou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Guang Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
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29
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Dunbar RIM, Shultz S. Why are there so many explanations for primate brain evolution? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:20160244. [PMID: 28673920 PMCID: PMC5498304 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The question as to why primates have evolved unusually large brains has received much attention, with many alternative proposals all supported by evidence. We review the main hypotheses, the assumptions they make and the evidence for and against them. Taking as our starting point the fact that every hypothesis has sound empirical evidence to support it, we argue that the hypotheses are best interpreted in terms of a framework of evolutionary causes (selection factors), consequences (evolutionary windows of opportunity) and constraints (usually physiological limitations requiring resolution if large brains are to evolve). Explanations for brain evolution in birds and mammals generally, and primates in particular, have to be seen against the backdrop of the challenges involved with the evolution of coordinated, cohesive, bonded social groups that require novel social behaviours for their resolution, together with the specialized cognition and neural substrates that underpin this. A crucial, but frequently overlooked, issue is that fact that the evolution of large brains required energetic, physiological and time budget constraints to be overcome. In some cases, this was reflected in the evolution of 'smart foraging' and technical intelligence, but in many cases required the evolution of behavioural competences (such as coalition formation) that required novel cognitive skills. These may all have been supported by a domain-general form of cognition that can be used in many different contexts.This article is part of the themed issue 'Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- R I M Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UD, UK
- Department of Computer Sciences, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Susanne Shultz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
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Primate brain size is predicted by diet but not sociality. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:112. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 236] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Nguyen TV, Lew J, Albaugh MD, Botteron KN, Hudziak JJ, Fonov VS, Collins DL, Ducharme S, McCracken JT. Sex-specific associations of testosterone with prefrontal-hippocampal development and executive function. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 76:206-217. [PMID: 27984812 PMCID: PMC5272813 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone is thought to play a crucial role in mediating sexual differentiation of brain structures. Examinations of the cognitive effects of testosterone have also shown beneficial and potentially sex-specific effects on executive function and mnemonic processes. Yet these findings remain limited by an incomplete understanding of the critical timing and brain regions most affected by testosterone, the lack of documented links between testosterone-related structural brain changes and cognition, and the difficulty in distinguishing the effects of testosterone from those of related sex steroids such as of estradiol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Here we examined associations between testosterone, cortico-hippocampal structural covariance, executive function (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function) and verbal memory (California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version), in a longitudinal sample of typically developing children and adolescents 6-22 yo, controlling for the effects of estradiol, DHEA, pubertal stage, collection time, age, handedness, and total brain volume. We found prefrontal-hippocampal covariance to vary as a function of testosterone levels, but only in boys. Boys also showed a specific association between positive prefrontal-hippocampal covariance (as seen at higher testosterone levels) and lower performance on specific components of executive function (monitoring the action process and flexibly shifting between actions). We also found the association between testosterone and a specific aspect of executive function (monitoring) to be significantly mediated by prefrontal-hippocampal structural covariance. There were no significant associations between testosterone-related cortico-hippocampal covariance and verbal memory. Taken together, these findings highlight the developmental importance of testosterone in supporting sexual differentiation of the brain and sex-specific executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuong-Vi Nguyen
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, McGill University Health Center (Royal Victoria Hospital at the Glen site), McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H4A 3J1.
| | - Jimin Lew
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada
| | | | | | - James J. Hudziak
- University of Vermont, College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
| | - Vladimir S. Fonov
- McConnell Brain imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - D. Louis Collins
- McConnell Brain imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Simon Ducharme
- McConnell Brain imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada,McGill University Health Centre, Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - James T. McCracken
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of California in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA
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Castillo-Morales A, Monzón-Sandoval J, de Sousa AA, Urrutia AO, Gutierrez H. Neocortex expansion is linked to size variations in gene families with chemotaxis, cell-cell signalling and immune response functions in mammals. Open Biol 2016; 6:rsob.160132. [PMID: 27707894 PMCID: PMC5090057 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.160132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Accepted: 09/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased brain size is thought to have played an important role in the evolution of mammals and is a highly variable trait across lineages. Variations in brain size are closely linked to corresponding variations in the size of the neocortex, a distinct mammalian evolutionary innovation. The genomic features that explain and/or accompany variations in the relative size of the neocortex remain unknown. By comparing the genomes of 28 mammalian species, we show that neocortical expansion relative to the rest of the brain is associated with variations in gene family size (GFS) of gene families that are significantly enriched in biological functions associated with chemotaxis, cell–cell signalling and immune response. Importantly, we find that previously reported GFS variations associated with increased brain size are largely accounted for by the stronger link between neocortex expansion and variations in the size of gene families. Moreover, genes within these families are more prominently expressed in the human neocortex during early compared with adult development. These results suggest that changes in GFS underlie morphological adaptations during brain evolution in mammalian lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atahualpa Castillo-Morales
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7YA, UK
| | - Jimena Monzón-Sandoval
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7YA, UK
| | | | - Araxi O Urrutia
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7YA, UK
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Woodley of Menie MA, te Nijenhuis J, Fernandes HB, Metzen D. Small to medium magnitude Jensen effects on brain volume: A meta-analytic test of the processing volume theory of general intelligence. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2016.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Steinhausen C, Zehl L, Haas-Rioth M, Morcinek K, Walkowiak W, Huggenberger S. Multivariate Meta-Analysis of Brain-Mass Correlations in Eutherian Mammals. Front Neuroanat 2016; 10:91. [PMID: 27746724 PMCID: PMC5043137 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2016.00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The general assumption that brain size differences are an adequate proxy for subtler differences in brain organization turned neurobiologists toward the question why some groups of mammals such as primates, elephants, and whales have such remarkably large brains. In this meta-analysis, an extensive sample of eutherian mammals (115 species distributed in 14 orders) provided data about several different biological traits and measures of brain size such as absolute brain mass (AB), relative brain mass (RB; quotient from AB and body mass), and encephalization quotient (EQ). These data were analyzed by established multivariate statistics without taking specific phylogenetic information into account. Species with high AB tend to (1) feed on protein-rich nutrition, (2) have a long lifespan, (3) delayed sexual maturity, and (4) long and rare pregnancies with small litter sizes. Animals with high RB usually have (1) a short life span, (2) reach sexual maturity early, and (3) have short and frequent gestations. Moreover, males of species with high RB also have few potential sexual partners. In contrast, animals with high EQs have (1) a high number of potential sexual partners, (2) delayed sexual maturity, and (3) rare gestations with small litter sizes. Based on these correlations, we conclude that Eutheria with either high AB or high EQ occupy positions at the top of the network of food chains (high trophic levels). Eutheria of low trophic levels can develop a high RB only if they have small body masses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlene Steinhausen
- Department II of Anatomy, University of CologneCologne, Germany
- Biocenter, University of CologneCologne, Germany
| | - Lyuba Zehl
- Biocenter, University of CologneCologne, Germany
- Jülich Research Centre, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-6) and Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS-6) and JARA BRAIN Institute IJülich, Germany
| | - Michaela Haas-Rioth
- Department of Anatomy III (Dr. Senckenbergische Anatomie), Goethe University of Frankfurt am MainFrankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | | | - Stefan Huggenberger
- Department II of Anatomy, University of CologneCologne, Germany
- Biocenter, University of CologneCologne, Germany
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Day LB, Lindsay WR. Associations between Manakin Display Complexity and Both Body and Brain Size Challenge Assumptions of Allometric Correction: A Response to Gutierrez-Ibanez et al. (2016). BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2016; 87:227-31. [DOI: 10.1159/000446341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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36
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Kuhn SL, Raichlen DA, Clark AE. What moves us? How mobility and movement are at the center of human evolution. Evol Anthropol 2016; 25:86-97. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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37
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Bramlett-Parker J, Washburn DA. Can Rhesus Monkey Learn Executive Attention? Behav Sci (Basel) 2016; 6:bs6020011. [PMID: 27304969 PMCID: PMC4931383 DOI: 10.3390/bs6020011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of data indicates that, compared to humans, rhesus monkeys perform poorly on tasks that assess executive attention, or voluntary control over selection for processing, particularly under circumstances in which attention is attracted elsewhere by competing stimulus control. In the human-cognition literature, there are hotly active debates about whether various competencies such as executive attention, working memory capacity, and fluid intelligence can be improved through training. In the current study, rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) completed an attention-training intervention including several inhibitory-control tasks (a Simon task, numerical Stroop task, global/local interference task, and a continuous performance task) to determine whether generalized improvements would be observed on a version of the Attention Network Test (ANT) of controlled attention, which was administered before and after the training intervention. Although the animals demonstrated inhibition of prepotent responses and improved in executive attention with practice, this improvement did not generalize to the ANT at levels consistently better than were observed for control animals. Although these findings fail to encourage the possibility that species differences in cognitive competencies can be ameliorated through training, they do advance our understanding of the competition between stimulus-control and cognitive-control in performance by nonhuman and human primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Bramlett-Parker
- Language Research Center, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302-5010, USA.
| | - David A Washburn
- Language Research Center, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302-5010, USA.
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38
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Differential investment in visual and olfactory brain areas reflects behavioural choices in hawk moths. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26041. [PMID: 27185464 PMCID: PMC4869021 DOI: 10.1038/srep26041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Nervous tissue is one of the most metabolically expensive animal tissues, thus evolutionary investments that result in enlarged brain regions should also result in improved behavioural performance. Indeed, large-scale comparative studies in vertebrates and invertebrates have successfully linked differences in brain anatomy to differences in ecology and behaviour, but their precision can be limited by the detail of the anatomical measurements, or by only measuring behaviour indirectly. Therefore, detailed case studies are valuable complements to these investigations, and have provided important evidence linking brain structure to function in a range of higher-order behavioural traits, such as foraging experience or aggressive behaviour. Here, we show that differences in the size of both lower and higher-order sensory brain areas reflect differences in the relative importance of these senses in the foraging choices of hawk moths, as suggested by previous anatomical work in Lepidopterans. To this end we combined anatomical and behavioural quantifications of the relative importance of vision and olfaction in two closely related hawk moth species. We conclude that differences in sensory brain volume in these hawk moths can indeed be interpreted as differences in the importance of these senses for the animal’s behaviour.
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Beisner BA, Hannibal DL, Finn KR, Fushing H, McCowan B. Social power, conflict policing, and the role of subordination signals in rhesus macaque society. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 160:102-12. [PMID: 26801956 PMCID: PMC5380402 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 12/28/2015] [Accepted: 01/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Policing is a conflict-limiting mechanism observed in many primate species. It is thought to require a skewed distribution of social power for some individuals to have sufficiently high social power to stop others' fights, yet social power has not been examined in most species with policing behavior. We examined networks of subordination signals as a source of social power that permits policing behavior in rhesus macaques. MATERIALS AND METHODS For each of seven captive groups of rhesus macaques, we (a) examined the structure of subordination signal networks and used GLMs to examine the relationship between (b) pairwise dominance certainty and subordination network pathways and (c) policing frequency and social power (group-level convergence in subordination signaling pathways). RESULTS Networks of subordination signals had perfect linear transitivity, and pairs connected by both direct and indirect pathways of signals had more certain dominance relationships than pairs with no such network connection. Social power calculated using both direct and indirect network pathways showed a heavy-tailed distribution and positively predicted conflict policing. CONCLUSIONS Our results empirically substantiate that subordination signaling is associated with greater dominance relationship certainty and further show that pairs who signal rarely (or not at all) may use information from others' signaling interactions to infer or reaffirm the relative certainty of their own relationships. We argue that the network of formal dominance relationships is central to societal stability because it is important for relationship stability and also supports the additional stabilizing mechanism of policing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianne A Beisner
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA, 95616
| | - Darcy L Hannibal
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA, 95616
| | - Kelly R Finn
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA, 95616
- Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616
| | - Hsieh Fushing
- Department of Statistics, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616
| | - Brenda McCowan
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA, 95616
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616
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Abstract
Higher-order mentalising is the ability to represent the beliefs and desires of other people at multiple, iterated levels - a capacity that sets humans apart from other species. However, there has not yet been a systematic attempt to determine what cognitive processes underlie this ability. Here we present three correlational studies assessing the extent to which performance on higher-order mentalising tasks relates to emotion recognition, self-reported empathy and self-inhibition. In Study 1a and 1b, examining emotion recognition and empathy, a relationship was identified between individual differences in the ability to mentalise and an emotion recognition task (the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task), but no correlation was found with the Empathy Quotient, a self-report scale of empathy. Study 2 investigated whether a relationship exists between individual mentalising abilities and four different forms of self-inhibition: motor inhibition, executive inhibition, automatic imitation and temporal discounting. Results demonstrate that only temporal discounting performance relates to mentalising ability; suggesting that cognitive skills relevant to representation of the minds of others' are not influenced by the ability to perform more basic inhibition. Higher-order mentalising appears to rely on the cognitive architecture that serves both low-level social cognition (emotion recognition), and complex forms of inhibition.
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41
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Differences in cognitive abilities among primates are concentrated on G: Phenotypic and phylogenetic comparisons with two meta-analytical databases. INTELLIGENCE 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2014.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Sulger E, McAloon N, Bulova SJ, Sapp J, O'Donnell S. Evidence for adaptive brain tissue reduction in obligate social parasites (Polyergus mexicanus) relative to their hosts (Formica fusca). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Sulger
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science; Drexel University; Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
| | - Nola McAloon
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science; Drexel University; Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
| | - Susan J. Bulova
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science; Drexel University; Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
| | - Joseph Sapp
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; University of California-Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz CA 95064 USA
| | - Sean O'Donnell
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science; Drexel University; Philadelphia PA 19104 USA
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de Sousa AA, Proulx MJ. What can volumes reveal about human brain evolution? A framework for bridging behavioral, histometric, and volumetric perspectives. Front Neuroanat 2014; 8:51. [PMID: 25009469 PMCID: PMC4069365 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2014.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
An overall relationship between brain size and cognitive ability exists across primates. Can more specific information about neural function be gleaned from cortical area volumes? Numerous studies have found significant relationships between brain structures and behaviors. However, few studies have speculated about brain structure-function relationships from the microanatomical to the macroanatomical level. Here we address this problem in comparative neuroanatomy, where the functional relevance of overall brain size and the sizes of cortical regions have been poorly understood, by considering comparative psychology, with measures of visual acuity and the perception of visual illusions. We outline a model where the macroscopic size (volume or surface area) of a cortical region (such as the primary visual cortex, V1) is related to the microstructure of discrete brain regions. The hypothesis developed here is that an absolutely larger V1 can process more information with greater fidelity due to having more neurons to represent a field of space. This is the first time that the necessary comparative neuroanatomical research at the microstructural level has been brought to bear on the issue. The evidence suggests that as the size of V1 increases: the number of neurons increases, the neuron density decreases, and the density of neuronal connections increases. Thus, we describe how information about gross neuromorphology, using V1 as a model for the study of other cortical areas, may permit interpretations of cortical function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael J Proulx
- Crossmodal Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Bath Bath, UK
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Barger N, Hanson KL, Teffer K, Schenker-Ahmed NM, Semendeferi K. Evidence for evolutionary specialization in human limbic structures. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:277. [PMID: 24904348 PMCID: PMC4033018 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2014] [Accepted: 04/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasingly, functional and evolutionary research has highlighted the important contribution emotion processing makes to complex human social cognition. As such, it may be asked whether neural structures involved in emotion processing, commonly referred to as limbic structures, have been impacted in human brain evolution. To address this question, we performed an extensive evolutionary analysis of multiple limbic structures using modern phylogenetic tools. For this analysis, we combined new volumetric data for the hominoid (human and ape) amygdala and 4 amygdaloid nuclei, hippocampus, and striatum, collected using stereological methods in complete histological series, with previously published datasets on the amygdala, orbital and medial frontal cortex, and insula, as well as a non-limbic structure, the dorsal frontal cortex, for contrast. We performed a parallel analysis using large published datasets including many anthropoid species (human, ape, and monkey), but fewer hominoids, for the amygdala and 2 amygdaloid subdivisions, hippocampus, schizocortex, striatum, and septal nuclei. To address evolutionary change, we compared observed human values to values predicted from regressions run through (a) non-human hominoids and (b) non-human anthropoids, assessing phylogenetic influence using phylogenetic generalized least squares regression. Compared with other hominoids, the volumes of the hippocampus, the lateral nucleus of the amygdala, and the orbital frontal cortex were, respectively, 50, 37, and 11% greater in humans than predicted for an ape of human hemisphere volume, while the medial and dorsal frontal cortex were, respectively, 26 and 29% significantly smaller. Compared with other anthropoids, only human values for the striatum fell significantly below predicted values. Overall, the data present support for the idea that regions involved in emotion processing are not necessarily conserved or regressive, but may even be enhanced in recent human evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Barger
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA ; Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Kari L Hanson
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kate Teffer
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Katerina Semendeferi
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA ; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA
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45
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MacLean EL, Hare B, Nunn CL, Addessi E, Amici F, Anderson RC, Aureli F, Baker JM, Bania AE, Barnard AM, Boogert NJ, Brannon EM, Bray EE, Bray J, Brent LJN, Burkart JM, Call J, Cantlon JF, Cheke LG, Clayton NS, Delgado MM, DiVincenti LJ, Fujita K, Herrmann E, Hiramatsu C, Jacobs LF, Jordan KE, Laude JR, Leimgruber KL, Messer EJE, Moura ACDA, Ostojić L, Picard A, Platt ML, Plotnik JM, Range F, Reader SM, Reddy RB, Sandel AA, Santos LR, Schumann K, Seed AM, Sewall KB, Shaw RC, Slocombe KE, Su Y, Takimoto A, Tan J, Tao R, van Schaik CP, Virányi Z, Visalberghi E, Wade JC, Watanabe A, Widness J, Young JK, Zentall TR, Zhao Y. The evolution of self-control. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:E2140-8. [PMID: 24753565 PMCID: PMC4034204 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1323533111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 412] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognition presents evolutionary research with one of its greatest challenges. Cognitive evolution has been explained at the proximate level by shifts in absolute and relative brain volume and at the ultimate level by differences in social and dietary complexity. However, no study has integrated the experimental and phylogenetic approach at the scale required to rigorously test these explanations. Instead, previous research has largely relied on various measures of brain size as proxies for cognitive abilities. We experimentally evaluated these major evolutionary explanations by quantitatively comparing the cognitive performance of 567 individuals representing 36 species on two problem-solving tasks measuring self-control. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that absolute brain volume best predicted performance across species and accounted for considerably more variance than brain volume controlling for body mass. This result corroborates recent advances in evolutionary neurobiology and illustrates the cognitive consequences of cortical reorganization through increases in brain volume. Within primates, dietary breadth but not social group size was a strong predictor of species differences in self-control. Our results implicate robust evolutionary relationships between dietary breadth, absolute brain volume, and self-control. These findings provide a significant first step toward quantifying the primate cognitive phenome and explaining the process of cognitive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian Hare
- Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience
| | | | - Elsa Addessi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 00197 Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Amici
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Filippo Aureli
- Instituto de Neuroetologia, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, CP 91190, Mexico;Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph M Baker
- Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research andDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Amanda E Bania
- Center for Animal Care Sciences, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008
| | | | - Neeltje J Boogert
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland
| | | | - Emily E Bray
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Joel Bray
- Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience,Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708
| | - Judith M Burkart
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Josep Call
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Lucy G Cheke
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola S Clayton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | | | - Louis J DiVincenti
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Seneca Park Zoo, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14620
| | - Kazuo Fujita
- Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Esther Herrmann
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Lucia F Jacobs
- Department of Psychology andHelen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | | | - Jennifer R Laude
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506
| | | | - Emily J E Messer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland
| | - Antonio C de A Moura
- Departamento Engenharia e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal da Paraiba, 58059-900, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Ljerka Ostojić
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Alejandra Picard
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Michael L Platt
- Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience,Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708;Neurobiology, and
| | - Joshua M Plotnik
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom;Think Elephants International, Stone Ridge, NY 12484
| | - Friederike Range
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria;Wolf Science Center, A-2115 Ernstbrunn, Austria
| | - Simon M Reader
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - Rachna B Reddy
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; and
| | - Aaron A Sandel
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; and
| | - Laurie R Santos
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Katrin Schumann
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Amanda M Seed
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland
| | | | - Rachael C Shaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Katie E Slocombe
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Yanjie Su
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ayaka Takimoto
- Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | | | - Ruoting Tao
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland
| | - Carel P van Schaik
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Zsófia Virányi
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabetta Visalberghi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 00197 Rome, Italy
| | - Jordan C Wade
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506
| | - Arii Watanabe
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Widness
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Julie K Young
- Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322
| | - Thomas R Zentall
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506
| | - Yini Zhao
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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Social cognition in fishes. Trends Cogn Sci 2014; 18:465-71. [PMID: 24815200 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2014.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2013] [Revised: 04/07/2014] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Brain evolution has often been correlated with the cognitive demands of social life. Further progress depends on our ability to link cognitive processes to corresponding brain part sizes and structures, and, ultimately, to demonstrate causality. Recent research suggests that fishes are suitable to test general hypotheses about vertebrate social cognition and its evolution: brain structure and physiology are rather conserved among vertebrates, and fish are able to perform complex decisions in social context. Here, we outline the opportunities for experimentation and comparative studies using fish as model systems, as well as some current shortcomings in fish social cognition research.
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Muscedere ML, Gronenberg W, Moreau CS, Traniello JFA. Investment in higher order central processing regions is not constrained by brain size in social insects. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20140217. [PMID: 24741016 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent to which size constrains the evolution of brain organization and the genesis of complex behaviour is a central, unanswered question in evolutionary neuroscience. Advanced cognition has long been linked to the expansion of specific brain compartments, such as the neocortex in vertebrates and the mushroom bodies in insects. Scaling constraints that limit the size of these brain regions in small animals may therefore be particularly significant to behavioural evolution. Recent findings from studies of paper wasps suggest miniaturization constrains the size of central sensory processing brain centres (mushroom body calyces) in favour of peripheral, sensory input centres (antennal and optic lobes). We tested the generality of this hypothesis in diverse eusocial hymenopteran species (ants, bees and wasps) exhibiting striking variation in body size and thus brain size. Combining multiple neuroanatomical datasets from these three taxa, we found no universal size constraint on brain organization within or among species. In fact, small-bodied ants with miniscule brains had mushroom body calyces proportionally as large as or larger than those of wasps and bees with brains orders of magnitude larger. Our comparative analyses suggest that brain organization in ants is shaped more by natural selection imposed by visual demands than intrinsic design limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario L Muscedere
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, , 2 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA, Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, , 611 Gould-Simpson Science Building, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA, Department of Science and Education, Field Museum of Natural History, , 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA, Department of Biology, Boston University, , 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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O’Donnell S, Clifford MR, Bulova SJ, DeLeon S, Papa C, Zahedi N. A test of neuroecological predictions using paperwasp caste differences in brain structure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1667-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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49
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O'Donnell S, Clifford MR, DeLeon S, Papa C, Zahedi N, Bulova SJ. Brain size and visual environment predict species differences in paper wasp sensory processing brain regions (hymenoptera: vespidae, polistinae). BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2013; 82:177-84. [PMID: 24192228 DOI: 10.1159/000354968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The mosaic brain evolution hypothesis predicts that the relative volumes of functionally distinct brain regions will vary independently and correlate with species' ecology. Paper wasp species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae) differ in light exposure: they construct open versus enclosed nests and one genus (Apoica) is nocturnal. We asked whether light environments were related to species differences in the size of antennal and optic processing brain tissues. Paper wasp brains have anatomically distinct peripheral and central regions that process antennal and optic sensory inputs. We measured the volumes of 4 sensory processing brain regions in paper wasp species from 13 Neotropical genera including open and enclosed nesters, and diurnal and nocturnal species. Species differed in sensory region volumes, but there was no evidence for trade-offs among sensory modalities. All sensory region volumes correlated with brain size. However, peripheral optic processing investment increased with brain size at a higher rate than peripheral antennal processing investment. Our data suggest that mosaic and concerted (size-constrained) brain evolution are not exclusive alternatives. When brain regions increase with brain size at different rates, these distinct allometries can allow for differential investment among sensory modalities. As predicted by mosaic evolution, species ecology was associated with some aspects of brain region investment. Nest architecture variation was not associated with brain investment differences, but the nocturnal genus Apoica had the largest antennal:optic volume ratio in its peripheral sensory lobes. Investment in central processing tissues was not related to nocturnality, a pattern also noted in mammals. The plasticity of neural connections in central regions may accommodate evolutionary shifts in input from the periphery with relatively minor changes in volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean O'Donnell
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa., USA
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50
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Shultz S, Maslin M. Early human speciation, brain expansion and dispersal influenced by African climate pulses. PLoS One 2013; 8:e76750. [PMID: 24146922 PMCID: PMC3797764 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Early human evolution is characterised by pulsed speciation and dispersal events that cannot be explained fully by global or continental paleoclimate records. We propose that the collated record of ephemeral East African Rift System (EARS) lakes could be a proxy for the regional paleoclimate conditions experienced by early hominins. Here we show that the presence of these lakes is associated with low levels of dust deposition in both West African and Mediterranean records, but is not associated with long-term global cooling and aridification of East Africa. Hominin expansion and diversification seem to be associated with climate pulses characterized by the precession-forced appearance and disappearance of deep EARS lakes. The most profound period for hominin evolution occurs at about 1.9 Ma; with the highest recorded diversity of hominin species, the appearance of Homo (sensu stricto) and major dispersal events out of East Africa into Eurasia. During this period, ephemeral deep-freshwater lakes appeared along the whole length of the EARS, fundamentally changing the local environment. The relationship between the local environment and hominin brain expansion is less clear. The major step-wise expansion in brain size around 1.9 Ma when Homo appeared was coeval with the occurrence of ephemeral deep lakes. Subsequent incremental increases in brain size are associated with dry periods with few if any lakes. Plio-Pleistocene East African climate pulses as evinced by the paleo-lake records seem, therefore, fundamental to hominin speciation, encephalisation and migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Shultz
- Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Maslin
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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