1
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Watanabe H, Dijkstra JM, Nagatsu T. Parkinson's Disease: Cells Succumbing to Lifelong Dopamine-Related Oxidative Stress and Other Bioenergetic Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2009. [PMID: 38396687 PMCID: PMC10888576 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The core pathological event in Parkinson's disease (PD) is the specific dying of dopamine (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). The reasons why SNc DA neurons are especially vulnerable and why idiopathic PD has only been found in humans are still puzzling. The two main underlying factors of SNc DA neuron vulnerability appear related to high DA production, namely (i) the toxic effects of cytoplasmic DA metabolism and (ii) continuous cytosolic Ca2+ oscillations in the absence of the Ca2+-buffer protein calbindin. Both factors cause oxidative stress by producing highly reactive quinones and increasing intra-mitochondrial Ca2+ concentrations, respectively. High DA expression in human SNc DA neuron cell bodies is suggested by the abundant presence of the DA-derived pigment neuromelanin, which is not found in such abundance in other species and has been associated with toxicity at higher levels. The oxidative stress created by their DA production system, despite the fact that the SN does not use unusually high amounts of energy, explains why SNc DA neurons are sensitive to various genetic and environmental factors that create mitochondrial damage and thereby promote PD. Aging increases multiple risk factors for PD, and, to a large extent, PD is accelerated aging. To prevent PD neurodegeneration, possible approaches that are discussed here are (1) reducing cytoplasmic DA accumulation, (2) blocking cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations, and (3) providing bioenergetic support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirohisa Watanabe
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake 470-1192, Aichi, Japan
| | - Johannes M. Dijkstra
- Center for Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake 470-1192, Aichi, Japan
| | - Toshiharu Nagatsu
- Center for Research Promotion and Support, Fujita Health University, Toyoake 470-1192, Aichi, Japan;
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2
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Castrillon G, Epp S, Bose A, Fraticelli L, Hechler A, Belenya R, Ranft A, Yakushev I, Utz L, Sundar L, Rauschecker JP, Preibisch C, Kurcyus K, Riedl V. An energy costly architecture of neuromodulators for human brain evolution and cognition. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi7632. [PMID: 38091393 PMCID: PMC10848727 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi7632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
In comparison to other species, the human brain exhibits one of the highest energy demands relative to body metabolism. It remains unclear whether this heightened energy demand uniformly supports an enlarged brain or if specific signaling mechanisms necessitate greater energy. We hypothesized that the regional distribution of energy demands will reveal signaling strategies that have contributed to human cognitive development. We measured the energy distribution within the brain functional connectome using multimodal brain imaging and found that signaling pathways in evolutionarily expanded regions have up to 67% higher energetic costs than those in sensory-motor regions. Additionally, histology, transcriptomic data, and molecular imaging independently reveal an up-regulation of signaling at G-protein-coupled receptors in energy-demanding regions. Our findings indicate that neuromodulator activity is predominantly involved in cognitive functions, such as reading or memory processing. This study suggests that an up-regulation of neuromodulator activity, alongside increased brain size, is a crucial aspect of human brain evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Castrillon
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Research Group in Medical Imaging, SURA Ayudas Diagnósticas, Medellin, Colombia
- Department of Neuroradiology at Uniklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Samira Epp
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Antonia Bose
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Laura Fraticelli
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - André Hechler
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Roman Belenya
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Ranft
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Igor Yakushev
- Department of Nuclear Medicine at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lukas Utz
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lalith Sundar
- Quantitative Imaging and Medical Physics Team, Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Josef P Rauschecker
- Center for Neuroengineering, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christine Preibisch
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Katarzyna Kurcyus
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Valentin Riedl
- Department of Neuroradiology at Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neuroradiology at Uniklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
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3
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Raghanti MA, Miller EN, Jones DN, Smith HN, Munger EL, Edler MK, Phillips KA, Hopkins WD, Hof PR, Sherwood CC, Lovejoy CO. Hedonic eating, obesity, and addiction result from increased neuropeptide Y in the nucleus accumbens during human brain evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2311118120. [PMID: 37695892 PMCID: PMC10515152 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311118120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is central to motivation and action, exhibiting one of the highest densities of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the brain. Within the NAc, NPY plays a role in reward and is involved in emotional behavior and in increasing alcohol and drug addiction and fat intake. Here, we examined NPY innervation and neurons of the NAc in humans and other anthropoid primates in order to determine whether there are differences among these various species that would correspond to behavioral or life history variables. We quantified NPY-immunoreactive axons and neurons in the NAc of 13 primate species, including humans, great apes, and monkeys. Our data show that the human brain is unique among primates in having denser NPY innervation within the NAc, as measured by axon length density to neuron density, even after accounting for brain size. Combined with our previous finding of increased dopaminergic innervation in the same region, our results suggest that the neurochemical profile of the human NAc appears to have rendered our species uniquely susceptible to neurophysiological conditions such as addiction. The increase in NPY specific to the NAc may represent an adaptation that favors fat intake and contributes to an increased vulnerability to eating disorders, obesity, as well as alcohol and drug dependence. Along with our findings for dopamine, these deeply rooted structural attributes of the human brain are likely to have emerged early in the human clade, laying the groundwork for later brain expansion and the development of cognitive and behavioral specializations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ann Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
| | - Elaine N. Miller
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC20052
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC20052
| | - Danielle N. Jones
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
| | - Heather N. Smith
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
| | - Emily L. Munger
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
| | - Melissa K. Edler
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
| | - Kimberley A. Phillips
- Department of Psychology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX78212
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX78245
| | - William D. Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX78602
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY10029
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC20052
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC20052
| | - C. Owen Lovejoy
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
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4
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Blumenthal SA, Young LJ. The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:844. [PMID: 37372130 PMCID: PMC10295201 DOI: 10.3390/biology12060844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Love is a powerful emotional experience that is rooted in ancient neurobiological processes shared with other species that pair bond. Considerable insights have been gained into the neural mechanisms driving the evolutionary antecedents of love by studies in animal models of pair bonding, particularly in monogamous species such as prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Here, we provide an overview of the roles of oxytocin, dopamine, and vasopressin in regulating neural circuits responsible for generating bonds in animals and humans alike. We begin with the evolutionary origins of bonding in mother-infant relationships and then examine the neurobiological underpinnings of each stage of bonding. Oxytocin and dopamine interact to link the neural representation of partner stimuli with the social reward of courtship and mating to create a nurturing bond between individuals. Vasopressin facilitates mate-guarding behaviors, potentially related to the human experience of jealousy. We further discuss the psychological and physiological stress following partner separation and their adaptive function, as well as evidence of the positive health outcomes associated with being pair-bonded based on both animal and human studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A. Blumenthal
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Larry J. Young
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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5
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Townsend C, Ferraro JV, Habecker H, Flinn MV. Human cooperation and evolutionary transitions in individuality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210414. [PMID: 36688393 PMCID: PMC9869453 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A major evolutionary transition in individuality involves the formation of a cooperative group and the transformation of that group into an evolutionary entity. Human cooperation shares principles with those of multicellular organisms that have undergone transitions in individuality: division of labour, communication, and fitness interdependence. After the split from the last common ancestor of hominoids, early hominins adapted to an increasingly terrestrial niche for several million years. We posit that new challenges in this niche set in motion a positive feedback loop in selection pressure for cooperation that ratcheted coevolutionary changes in sociality, communication, brains, cognition, kin relations and technology, eventually resulting in egalitarian societies with suppressed competition and rapid cumulative culture. The increasing pace of information innovation and transmission became a key aspect of the evolutionary niche that enabled humans to become formidable cooperators with explosive population growth, the ability to cooperate and compete in groups of millions, and emergent social norms, e.g. private property. Despite considerable fitness interdependence, the rise of private property, in concert with population explosion and socioeconomic inequality, subverts potential transition of human groups into evolutionary entities due to resurgence of latent competition and conflict. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathryn Townsend
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
| | - Joseph V. Ferraro
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
| | - Heather Habecker
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
| | - Mark V. Flinn
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
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6
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Boeckx C. What made us "hunter-gatherers of words". Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1080861. [PMID: 36845441 PMCID: PMC9947416 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1080861] [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: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper makes three interconnected claims: (i) the "human condition" cannot be captured by evolutionary narratives that reduce it to a recent 'cognitive modernity', nor by narratives that eliminates all cognitive differences between us and out closest extinct relatives, (ii) signals from paleogenomics, especially coming from deserts of introgression but also from signatures of positive selection, point to the importance of mutations that impact neurodevelopment, plausibly leading to temperamental differences, which may impact cultural evolutionary trajectories in specific ways, and (iii) these trajectories are expected to affect the language phenotypes, modifying what is being learned and how it is put to use. In particular, I hypothesize that these different trajectories influence the development of symbolic systems, the flexible ways in which symbols combine, and the size and configurations of the communities in which these systems are put to use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Boeckx
- Section of General Linguistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Complex Systems, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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7
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Smith NK, Kondev V, Hunt TR, Grueter BA. Neuropeptide Y modulates excitatory synaptic transmission and promotes social behavior in the mouse nucleus accumbens. Neuropharmacology 2022; 217:109201. [PMID: 35917875 PMCID: PMC9836361 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Social interactions define the human experience, but these integral behaviors are disrupted in many psychiatric disorders. Social behaviors have evolved over millennia, and neuromodulatory systems that promote social behavior in invertebrates are also present in mammalian brains. One such conserved neuromodulator, neuropeptide Y (NPY), acts through several receptors including the Y1r, Y2r, and Y5r. These receptors are present in brain regions that control social behavior, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, whether NPY modulates NAc neurotransmission is unknown. Using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology of NAc neurons, we find that multiple NPY receptors regulate excitatory synaptic transmission in a cell-type specific manner. At excitatory synapses onto D1+ MSNs, Y1r activity enhances transmission while Y2r suppresses transmission. At excitatory synapses onto D1- MSNs, Y5r activity enhances transmission while Y2r suppresses transmission. Directly infusing NPY or the Y1r agonist [Leu31, Pro34]-NPY into the NAc significantly increases social interaction with an unfamiliar conspecific. Inhibition of an enzyme that breaks down NPY, dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV), shifts the effect of NPY on D1+ MSNs to a Y1r dominated phenotype. Together, these results increase our understanding of how NPY regulates neurotransmission in the NAc and identify a novel mechanism underlying the control of social behavior. Further, they reveal a potential strategy to shift NPY signaling for therapeutic gain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas K. Smith
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Veronika Kondev
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Thomas R. Hunt
- College of Arts and Sciences, Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Brad A. Grueter
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN 37232, USA,Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Nashville, TN 37232, USA,Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN 37232, USA,Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN 37232, USA,Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN, 37232, USA,Corresponding author. 1161 21st Avenue South * T4202-MCN Nashville, TN, 37232-2520, USA, (B.A. Grueter)
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8
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Ma S, Skarica M, Li Q, Xu C, Risgaard RD, Tebbenkamp AT, Mato-Blanco X, Kovner R, Krsnik Ž, de Martin X, Luria V, Martí-Pérez X, Liang D, Karger A, Schmidt DK, Gomez-Sanchez Z, Qi C, Gobeske KT, Pochareddy S, Debnath A, Hottman CJ, Spurrier J, Teo L, Boghdadi AG, Homman-Ludiye J, Ely JJ, Daadi EW, Mi D, Daadi M, Marín O, Hof PR, Rasin MR, Bourne J, Sherwood CC, Santpere G, Girgenti MJ, Strittmatter SM, Sousa AM, Sestan N. Molecular and cellular evolution of the primate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Science 2022; 377:eabo7257. [PMID: 36007006 PMCID: PMC9614553 DOI: 10.1126/science.abo7257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The granular dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is an evolutionary specialization of primates that is centrally involved in cognition. We assessed more than 600,000 single-nucleus transcriptomes from adult human, chimpanzee, macaque, and marmoset dlPFC. Although most cell subtypes defined transcriptomically are conserved, we detected several that exist only in a subset of species as well as substantial species-specific molecular differences across homologous neuronal, glial, and non-neural subtypes. The latter are exemplified by human-specific switching between expression of the neuropeptide somatostatin and tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine production in certain interneurons. The above molecular differences are also illustrated by expression of the neuropsychiatric risk gene FOXP2, which is human-specific in microglia and primate-specific in layer 4 granular neurons. We generated a comprehensive survey of the dlPFC cellular repertoire and its shared and divergent features in anthropoid primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaojie Ma
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Mario Skarica
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Qian Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Chuan Xu
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Ryan D. Risgaard
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | | | - Xoel Mato-Blanco
- Neurogenomics Group, Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB), Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), MELIS, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Rothem Kovner
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Željka Krsnik
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Xabier de Martin
- Neurogenomics Group, Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB), Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), MELIS, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Victor Luria
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Xavier Martí-Pérez
- Neurogenomics Group, Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB), Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), MELIS, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Dan Liang
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Amir Karger
- IT-Research Computing, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Danielle K. Schmidt
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Zachary Gomez-Sanchez
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Cai Qi
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Kevin T. Gobeske
- Division of Neurocritical Care and Emergency Neurology, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Sirisha Pochareddy
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Ashwin Debnath
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Cade J. Hottman
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Joshua Spurrier
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Leon Teo
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, 15 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Anthony G. Boghdadi
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, 15 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Jihane Homman-Ludiye
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, 15 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - John J. Ely
- MAEBIOS, Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Etienne W. Daadi
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Da Mi
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Marcel Daadi
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Cell Systems & Anatomy, Radiology, Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio
- NeoNeuron LLC, Palo Alto, CA 94306, USA
| | - Oscar Marín
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Mladen-Roko Rasin
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - James Bourne
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, 15 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Gabriel Santpere
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Neurogenomics Group, Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB), Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), MELIS, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Matthew J. Girgenti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- National Center for PTSD, US Department of Veterans Affairs, White River Junction, VT, USA
| | - Stephen M. Strittmatter
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - André M.M. Sousa
- Waisman Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Nenad Sestan
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Departments of Genetics and Comparative Medicine, Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, and Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
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9
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Spee BTM, Sladky R, Fingerhut J, Laciny A, Kraus C, Carls-Diamante S, Brücke C, Pelowski M, Treven M. Repeating patterns: Predictive processing suggests an aesthetic learning role of the basal ganglia in repetitive stereotyped behaviors. Front Psychol 2022; 13:930293. [PMID: 36160532 PMCID: PMC9497189 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.930293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurrent, unvarying, and seemingly purposeless patterns of action and cognition are part of normal development, but also feature prominently in several neuropsychiatric conditions. Repetitive stereotyped behaviors (RSBs) can be viewed as exaggerated forms of learned habits and frequently correlate with alterations in motor, limbic, and associative basal ganglia circuits. However, it is still unclear how altered basal ganglia feedback signals actually relate to the phenomenological variability of RSBs. Why do behaviorally overlapping phenomena sometimes require different treatment approaches−for example, sensory shielding strategies versus exposure therapy for autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder, respectively? Certain clues may be found in recent models of basal ganglia function that extend well beyond action selection and motivational control, and have implications for sensorimotor integration, prediction, learning under uncertainty, as well as aesthetic learning. In this paper, we systematically compare three exemplary conditions with basal ganglia involvement, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and autism spectrum conditions, to gain a new understanding of RSBs. We integrate clinical observations and neuroanatomical and neurophysiological alterations with accounts employing the predictive processing framework. Based on this review, we suggest that basal ganglia feedback plays a central role in preconditioning cortical networks to anticipate self-generated, movement-related perception. In this way, basal ganglia feedback appears ideally situated to adjust the salience of sensory signals through precision weighting of (external) new sensory information, relative to the precision of (internal) predictions based on prior generated models. Accordingly, behavioral policies may preferentially rely on new data versus existing knowledge, in a spectrum spanning between novelty and stability. RSBs may then represent compensatory or reactive responses, respectively, at the opposite ends of this spectrum. This view places an important role of aesthetic learning on basal ganglia feedback, may account for observed changes in creativity and aesthetic experience in basal ganglia disorders, is empirically testable, and may inform creative art therapies in conditions characterized by stereotyped behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanca T. M. Spee
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Neurology, Center of Expertise for Parkinson and Movement Disorders, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Ronald Sladky
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Joerg Fingerhut
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Department of Philosophy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Religious Studies, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Alice Laciny
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Christoph Kraus
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Medical Neuroscience Cluster, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Christof Brücke
- Medical Neuroscience Cluster, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthew Pelowski
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marco Treven
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Austria
- Medical Neuroscience Cluster, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- *Correspondence: Marco Treven,
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10
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Theofanopoulou C, Andirkó A, Boeckx C, Jarvis ED. Oxytocin and vasotocin receptor variation and the evolution of human prosociality. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2022; 11:100139. [PMID: 35757177 PMCID: PMC9227999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern human lifestyle strongly depends on complex social traits like empathy, tolerance and cooperation. These diverse facets of social cognition have been associated with variation in the oxytocin receptor (OTR) and its sister genes, the vasotocin/vasopressin receptors (VTR1A/AVPR1A and AVPR1B/VTR1B). Here, we compared the available genomic sequences of these receptors between modern humans, archaic humans, and 12 non-human primate species, and identified sites that show heterozygous variation in modern humans and archaic humans distinct from variation in other primates, and for which we could find association studies with clinical implications. On these sites, we performed a range of analyses (variant clustering, pathogenicity prediction, regulation, linkage disequilibrium frequency), and reviewed the literature on selection data in different modern-human populations. We found five sites with modern human specific variation, where the modern human allele is the major allele in the global population (OTR: rs1042778, rs237885, rs6770632; VTR1A: rs10877969; VTR1B: rs33985287). Among them, variation in the OTR-rs6770632 site was predicted to be the most functional. Two alleles (OTR: rs59190448 and rs237888) present only in modern humans and archaic humans were putatively under positive selection in modern humans, with rs237888 predicted to be a highly functional site. Three sites showed convergent evolution between modern humans and bonobos (OTR: rs2228485 and rs237897; VTR1A: rs1042615), with OTR-rs2228485 ranking highly in terms of functionality and reported to be under balancing selection in modern humans (Schaschl, 2015) [1]. Our findings have implications for understanding hominid prosociality, as well as the similarities between modern human and bonobo social behavior. We compared the oxytocin/vasotocin receptors in modern humans, archaic humans, and non-human primates. We found 5 sites with modern human specific variation. In these sites, the modern human allele is the major allele in the global population. Several sites were predicted to be functional and with selection signatures in modern humans. We also identified 3 sites of convergent evolution in modern humans and bonobos.
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11
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Humanized substitutions of Vmat1 in mice alter amygdala-dependent behaviors associated with the evolution of anxiety. iScience 2022; 25:104800. [PMID: 35992083 PMCID: PMC9385864 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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12
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Kim J, Jung H, Choi JY, Lee JW, Yoon M. Plasma concentration of dopamine varies depending on breed, sex, and
the genotype of DRD4 in horses. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2022; 64:792-799. [PMID: 35969706 PMCID: PMC9353348 DOI: 10.5187/jast.2022.e44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) is known to be a key modulator of animal behaviors. Thus, the
plasma concentration of DA might be used as a biomarker for the behavioral
characteristics of horses. The behavioral characteristics of horses vary
depending on the breed, age, and sex. Moreover, the DA receptor genotypes are
also related to horse behaviors. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate
the DA concentration variations of horse plasma by breed, age, sex, or genotype
of its receptor. The horses were divided by breed into Thoroughbred (n = 13),
Pony (n = 9), Warmblood (n = 4), and Haflinger (n = 5). The age variable was
divided into three different groups: post-pubertal (2–5 years, n = 6),
adult (6–13 years, n = 19), and aged horses (15–24 years, n = 6).
The sex variable was divided into geldings (n = 8) and mares (n = 23).
Approximately 10 mL of blood was collected, and an ELISA kit was used to measure
the plasma concentration of DA. Polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed
to identify the genetic variation in the DA D4 receptor gene
(DRD4). SPSS statistical software was used for statistical
analysis. The DA concentrations in geldings were significantly lower than those
in mares. There was no significant difference in DA concentrations among breed
and age groups. Horses with the GG and GA genotypes had significantly higher
plasma concentrations of DA compared to horses with the AA genotype for the
G292A gene. Briefly, the plasma concentration of DA varied depending on the sex
and genotype of G292A. These factors should be considered when the concentration
of DA is used as a biomarker for the behavioral characteristics of horses. In
conclusion, the DA concentration or DRD4 genotype of horse
plasma has the potential to be used as a biomarker that can predict the
behavioral characteristics of horses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyoung Kim
- Department of Animal Science and
Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224,
Korea
| | - Heejun Jung
- Department of Animal Science and
Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224,
Korea
| | - Jae-Young Choi
- Subtropical Livestock Research Institute,
National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development
Administration, Jeju 63242, Korea
| | - Jang-Won Lee
- Department of Integrative Biological
Sciences and Industry, Sejong University, Seoul 05006,
Korea
- Corresponding author: Jang-Won Lee,
Department of Integrative Biological Sciences and Industry, Sejong University,
Seoul 05006, Korea. Tel: +82-2-3408-3375, E-mail:
| | - Minjung Yoon
- Department of Animal Science and
Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224,
Korea
- Department of Horse, Companion and Wild
Animal Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224,
Korea
- Research Center for Horse Industry,
Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Korea
- Corresponding author: Minjung Yoon,
Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University,
Sangju 37224, Korea. Tel: +82-54-530-1233, E-mail:
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13
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Sallet J. On the evolutionary roots of human social cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 137:104632. [PMID: 35358568 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this commentary is to highlight the complementarity of the approaches used to investigate the neuronal basis of social cognition. From neuroanatomy, to neurophysiology, to neuroimaging and behavioral studies, the research presented by Braunsdorf, Noritake, Terenzi and colleagues are revealing a complex architecture supporting social cognition as well as the diversity of factors driving our social decisions (Braunsdorf et al., 2021; Noritake et al., 2021; Terenzi et al., 2021). From an evolutionary perspective, results presented indicate strong phylogenic origins to human social cognition, but also point out some issues about the evolution of the social brain that remain to be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Sallet
- Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, U1208 Bron, France.
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14
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Staes N, White CM, Guevara EE, Eens M, Hopkins WD, Schapiro SJ, Stevens JM, Sherwood CC, Bradley BJ. Chimpanzee Extraversion scores vary with epigenetic modification of dopamine receptor gene D2 ( DRD2) and early rearing conditions. Epigenetics 2022; 17:1701-1714. [PMID: 35345970 PMCID: PMC9621015 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2022.2058224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimpanzees have consistent individual differences in behaviour, also referred to as personality. Similar to human personality structure, five dimensions are commonly found in chimpanzee studies that show evidence for convergent and predictive validity (Dominance, Openness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Reactivity/Undependability). These dimensions are to some extent heritable, indicating a genetic component that explains part of the variation in personality scores, but are also influenced by environmental factors, such as the early social rearing background of the individuals. In this study, we investigated the role of epigenetic modification of the dopamine receptor D2 gene (DRD2) as a potential mechanism underlying personality variation in 51 captive chimpanzees. We used previously collected personality trait rating data and determined levels of DRD2 CpG methylation in peripheral blood samples for these same individuals. Results showed that DRD2 methylation is most strongly associated with Extraversion, and that varying methylation levels at specific DRD2 sites are associated with changes in Extraversion in nursery-reared, but not mother-reared, individuals. These results highlight the role of dopaminergic signalling in chimpanzee personality, and indicate that environmental factors, such as social experiences early in life, can have long-lasting behavioural effects, potentially through modification of the epigenome. These findings add to the growing evidence demonstrating the importance of the experience-dependent methylome for the development of complex social traits like personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicky Staes
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Cassandra M. White
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Elaine E Guevara
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - William D. Hopkins
- Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, USA
- Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA USA
- Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative, Des Moines, IA, USA
| | - Steven J. Schapiro
- Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, USA
| | - Jeroen M.G. Stevens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Salto Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University College, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Brenda J Bradley
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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15
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Duerler P, Vollenweider FX, Preller KH. A neurobiological perspective on social influence: Serotonin and social adaptation. J Neurochem 2022; 162:60-79. [PMID: 35274296 PMCID: PMC9322456 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Humans are inherently social beings. Being suggestible to each other's expectations enables pro-social skills that are crucial for social learning and adaptation. Despite its high relevance for psychiatry, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying social adaptation are still not well understood. This review therefore provides a conceptual framework covering various distinct mechanisms underlying social adaptation and explores the neuropharmacology - in particular the role of the serotonin (5-HT) system - modulating these mechanisms. This article therefore reviews empirical results on social influence processing and reconciles them with recent findings from psychedelic research on social processing to elucidate neurobiological and neuropharmacological underpinnings of social adaptation. Various computational, neurobiological, and neurochemical processes are involved in distinct mechanisms underlying social adaptation such as the multisensory process of social information integration that is crucial for the forming of self-representation and representations of social norms. This is again associated with self- and other-perception during social interactions as well as value-based decision making that guides our behaviour in daily interactions. We highlight the critical role of 5-HT in these processes and suggest that 5-HT can facilitate social learning and may represent an important target for treating psychiatric disorders characterized by impairments in social functioning. This framework also has important implications for psychedelic-assisted therapy as well as for the development of novel treatment approaches and future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Duerler
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital for Psychiatry Zurich, Lenggstr. 31, Zurich, Switzerland
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16
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DeCasien AR, Barton RA, Higham JP. Understanding the human brain: insights from comparative biology. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:432-445. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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17
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Interpopulational variation in human brain size: implications for hominin cognitive phylogeny. ANTHROPOLOGICAL REVIEW 2022. [DOI: 10.2478/anre-2021-0029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Throughout the hominin lineage brain size is believed to have increased threefold – increase which, it is argued by some researchers, results in the enhanced brain power that distinguishes humans from any other living being. However, as we demonstrate in this article this supposed increase is the result of comparing the species mean of contemporary humans with other great apes and fossil hominins. This method obscures both interpopulational variation among modern humans, and the fact that the putative increases in the mean are the result of an increase in the upper limit in some populations, which has the result of obscuring the relative stasis in the lower limit over the last 600k years. For example, populations such as Aboriginal Australians have a range that is more different from Danes than it is from that of Asian H. erectus over the last 600ka. Yet Aboriginal Australians, whose unique anatomy seems to be related to the climatic conditions of Australia, possess all of the socio-cognitive traits characteristic of all other modern-day populations – yet they seemed not to have undergone increase in brain size to the degree that many other populations have. In this instance brain size seems to be unrelated to cognition. In this article we present a statistical analysis of interpopulational variation in contemporary humans and why such an analysis is crucial for our understanding of hominin cognitive, social and technological evolution. We also suggest how such variation may add to our understanding of hominin ontogeny or life history. Additionally, we develop a model based on humanity’s unique form of embodied social cognition that results from our upright bipedal posture and hand morphology. This model is then used to explain the results of our statistical analysis and the possible factors underpinning the human emergence.
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18
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How Reliance on Allomaternal Care Shapes Primate Development with Special Reference to the Genus Homo. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-76000-7_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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19
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Markov AV, Markov MA. Coevolution of Brain, Culture, and Lifespan: Insights from Computer Simulations. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2021; 86:1503-1525. [PMID: 34937531 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297921120014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Humans possess a number of traits that are rare or absent in other primates, including large brain size, culture, language, extended lifespan (LS), and long post-reproductive period. Here, we use a computer model, TribeSim, originally designed to explore the autocatalytic coevolution of the hominin brain and culture within the framework of the "cultural drive" theory, to find out how culture and brain could coevolve with LS (or aging rate). We show that in the absence of culture, the evolution of LS depends on the intensity of the between-group competition (BGC): strong BGC results in shorter LS. Culture, however, favors genetic evolution of longer LS even if the BGC is strong. Extended LS, in turn, enhances cultural development, thus creating positive feedback. Cultural evolution of LS (accumulation of survival-enhancing or survival-impairing knowledge) differs from the genetic evolution of the same trait, partially because "memes" (ideas, skills, and behaviors) that reduce the risk of death tend to spread in the meme pool even if it is not beneficial to genes. Consequently, cultural evolution of aging tends to result in longer LS than genetic evolution of the same trait. If LS evolves both genetically and culturally, the typical result is a society in which young individuals, due to their genetic predisposition, lead a riskier lifestyle in exchange for a chance to gain additional resources, but accumulate survival-enhancing knowledge with age. Simulations also showed that cultural evolution of adaptive behaviors can contribute to the genetic evolution of a long post-reproductive period, e.g., if the presence of knowledgeable long-livers increases the competitiveness of the group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Markov
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia. .,Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117997, Russia
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20
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Yokoyama C, Autio JA, Ikeda T, Sallet J, Mars RB, Van Essen DC, Glasser MF, Sadato N, Hayashi T. Comparative connectomics of the primate social brain. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118693. [PMID: 34732327 PMCID: PMC9159291 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Social interaction is thought to provide a selection pressure for human intelligence, yet little is known about its neurobiological basis and evolution throughout the primate lineage. Recent advances in neuroimaging have enabled whole brain investigation of brain structure, function, and connectivity in humans and non-human primates (NHPs), leading to a nascent field of comparative connectomics. However, linking social behavior to brain organization across the primates remains challenging. Here, we review the current understanding of the macroscale neural mechanisms of social behaviors from the viewpoint of system neuroscience. We first demonstrate an association between the number of cortical neurons and the size of social groups across primates, suggesting a link between neural information-processing capacity and social capabilities. Moreover, by capitalizing on recent advances in species-harmonized functional MRI, we demonstrate that portions of the mirror neuron system and default-mode networks, which are thought to be important for representation of the other's actions and sense of self, respectively, exhibit similarities in functional organization in macaque monkeys and humans, suggesting possible homologies. With respect to these two networks, we describe recent developments in the neurobiology of social perception, joint attention, personality and social complexity. Together, the Human Connectome Project (HCP)-style comparative neuroimaging, hyperscanning, behavioral, and other multi-modal investigations are expected to yield important insights into the evolutionary foundations of human social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Yokoyama
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
| | - Joonas A Autio
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Takuro Ikeda
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Jérôme Sallet
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom; University of Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - David C Van Essen
- Departments of Neuroscience, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Matthew F Glasser
- Departments of Neuroscience, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States of America; Department of Radiology, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Norihiro Sadato
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan; The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takuya Hayashi
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan; School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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21
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Rodríguez Arce JM, Winkelman MJ. Psychedelics, Sociality, and Human Evolution. Front Psychol 2021; 12:729425. [PMID: 34659037 PMCID: PMC8514078 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.729425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Our hominin ancestors inevitably encountered and likely ingested psychedelic mushrooms throughout their evolutionary history. This assertion is supported by current understanding of: early hominins' paleodiet and paleoecology; primate phylogeny of mycophagical and self-medicative behaviors; and the biogeography of psilocybin-containing fungi. These lines of evidence indicate mushrooms (including bioactive species) have been a relevant resource since the Pliocene, when hominins intensified exploitation of forest floor foods. Psilocybin and similar psychedelics that primarily target the serotonin 2A receptor subtype stimulate an active coping strategy response that may provide an enhanced capacity for adaptive changes through a flexible and associative mode of cognition. Such psychedelics also alter emotional processing, self-regulation, and social behavior, often having enduring effects on individual and group well-being and sociality. A homeostatic and drug instrumentalization perspective suggests that incidental inclusion of psychedelics in the diet of hominins, and their eventual addition to rituals and institutions of early humans could have conferred selective advantages. Hominin evolution occurred in an ever-changing, and at times quickly changing, environmental landscape and entailed advancement into a socio-cognitive niche, i.e., the development of a socially interdependent lifeway based on reasoning, cooperative communication, and social learning. In this context, psychedelics' effects in enhancing sociality, imagination, eloquence, and suggestibility may have increased adaptability and fitness. We present interdisciplinary evidence for a model of psychedelic instrumentalization focused on four interrelated instrumentalization goals: management of psychological distress and treatment of health problems; enhanced social interaction and interpersonal relations; facilitation of collective ritual and religious activities; and enhanced group decision-making. The socio-cognitive niche was simultaneously a selection pressure and an adaptive response, and was partially constructed by hominins through their activities and their choices. Therefore, the evolutionary scenario put forward suggests that integration of psilocybin into ancient diet, communal practice, and proto-religious activity may have enhanced hominin response to the socio-cognitive niche, while also aiding in its creation. In particular, the interpersonal and prosocial effects of psilocybin may have mediated the expansion of social bonding mechanisms such as laughter, music, storytelling, and religion, imposing a systematic bias on the selective environment that favored selection for prosociality in our lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael James Winkelman
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
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22
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Segovia-Cuéllar A, Del Savio L. On the use of evolutionary mismatch theories in debating human prosociality. MEDICINE, HEALTH CARE, AND PHILOSOPHY 2021; 24:305-314. [PMID: 33982191 PMCID: PMC8349330 DOI: 10.1007/s11019-021-10025-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
According to some evolutionary theorists human prosocial dispositions emerged in a context of inter-group competition and violence that made our psychology parochially prosocial, ie. cooperative towards in-groups and competitive towards strangers. This evolutionary hypothesis is sometimes employed in bioethical debates to argue that human nature and contemporary environments, and especially large-scale societies, are mismatched. In this article we caution against the use of mismatch theories in moral philosophy in general and discuss empirical evidence that puts into question mismatch theories based on parochial prosociality. Evolutionary mismatch theories play at best a rhetorical role in these moral debates and may misrepresent the status of relevant evolutionary research. We finally recommend that moral philosophers interested in the evolutionary literature also engage with dispositions such as xenophilia and social tolerance to counterbalance the focus on psychological mismatches adopted so far.
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Hirter KN, Miller EN, Stimpson CD, Phillips KA, Hopkins WD, Hof PR, Sherwood CC, Lovejoy CO, Raghanti MA. The nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum exhibit greater dopaminergic innervation in humans compared to other primates. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:1909-1923. [PMID: 34032910 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02300-0] [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: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that increased dopaminergic signaling within the dorsal striatum played a central role in the evolution of the human brain. This increase has been linked to human prosociality and language in what has been described as a dopamine-dominated striatum personality style. Increased striatal dopamine is associated with an increase in ventral striatal activity and promotes externally driven behaviors, including cooperation and social conformity. In contrast, decreased striatal dopamine is associated with increased dorsal striatal activity and favors internally driven and goal-oriented behaviors. Previous comparative studies have focused on the dorsal striatum, measuring dopaminergic innervation in the dorsal and medial caudate nucleus and putamen. Here, we add to this knowledge by examining regions of the ventral striatum. We quantified the density of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive axons, as a measure of dopaminergic innervation, in the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum of humans, great apes, platyrrhine and cercopithecid monkeys. Our data show that humans have a significantly greater dopaminergic innervation in both structures, supporting the hypothesis that selection for a prosocial neurochemistry in the human basal ganglia may have contributed to the evolution of our uniquely social behavior profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen N Hirter
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA. .,Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA.
| | - Elaine N Miller
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Cheryl D Stimpson
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 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
| | - William D Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience 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
| | - C Owen Lovejoy
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA.,Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - Mary Ann Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA. .,Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA.
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O'Rourke T, Martins PT, Asano R, Tachibana RO, Okanoya K, Boeckx C. Capturing the Effects of Domestication on Vocal Learning Complexity. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:462-474. [PMID: 33810982 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Domesticated and vocal learning species can serve as informative model organisms for the reduction of reactive aggression and emergence of speech in our lineage. Amidst mounting evidence that domestication modifies vocal repertoires across different species, we focus on the domesticated Bengalese finch, which has a more complex song than the wild-type white-rumped munia. Our explanation for this effect revolves around the glutamate neurotransmitter system. Glutamate signaling (i) is implicated in birdsong learning, (ii) controls dopamine activity in neural circuits crucial for vocal learning, (iii) is disproportionately targeted in the evolution of domesticates, and (iv) regulates stress responses and aggressive behaviors attenuated under domestication. We propose that attenuated excitation of stress-related neural circuits potentiates vocal learning via altered dopaminergic signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas O'Rourke
- Section of General Linguistics, University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; University of Barcelona Institute for Complex Systems (UBICS), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pedro Tiago Martins
- Section of General Linguistics, University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; University of Barcelona Institute for Complex Systems (UBICS), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rie Asano
- Department of Systematic Musicology, University of Cologne, 50923 Cologne, Germany
| | - Ryosuke O Tachibana
- Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 153-8902 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 153-8902 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Cedric Boeckx
- Section of General Linguistics, University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; University of Barcelona Institute for Complex Systems (UBICS), 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institute for Advanced Studies and Research (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
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25
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Markov AV, Markov MA. Runaway brain-culture coevolution as a reason for larger brains: Exploring the "cultural drive" hypothesis by computer modeling. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:6059-6077. [PMID: 32607213 PMCID: PMC7319167 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Scale and tempo of brain expansion in the course of human evolution implies that this process was driven by a positive feedback. The "cultural drive" hypothesis suggests a possible mechanism for the runaway brain-culture coevolution wherein high-fidelity social learning results in accumulation of cultural traditions which, in turn, promote selection for still more efficient social learning. Here we explore this evolutionary mechanism by means of computer modeling. Simulations confirm its plausibility in a social species in a socio-ecological situation that makes the sporadic invention of new beneficial and cognitively demanding behaviors possible. The chances for the runaway brain-culture coevolution increase when some of the culturally transmitted behaviors are individually beneficial while the others are group-beneficial. In this case, "cultural drive" is possible under varying levels of between-group competition and migration. Modeling implies that brain expansion can receive additional boost if the evolving mechanisms of social learning are costly in terms of brain expansion (e.g., rely on complex neuronal circuits) and tolerant to the complexity of information transferred, that is, make it possible to transfer complex skills and concepts easily. Human language presumably fits this description. Modeling also confirms that the runaway brain-culture coevolution can be accelerated by additional positive feedback loops via population growth and life span extension, and that between-group competition and cultural group selection can facilitate the propagation of group-beneficial behaviors and remove maladaptive cultural traditions from the population's culture, which individual selection is unable to do.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V. Markov
- Faculty of BiologyMoscow State UniversityMoscowRussia
- Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of SciencesMoscowRussia
| | - Mikhail A. Markov
- Faculty of BiologyMoscow State UniversityMoscowRussia
- Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of SciencesMoscowRussia
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Hrdy SB, Burkart JM. The emergence of emotionally modern humans: implications for language and learning. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190499. [PMID: 32475330 PMCID: PMC7293152 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the Cooperative Breeding Hypothesis, apes with the life-history attributes of those in the line leading to the genus Homo could not have evolved unless male and female allomothers had begun to help mothers care for and provision offspring. As proposed elsewhere, the unusual way hominins reared their young generated novel phenotypes subsequently subjected to Darwinian social selection favouring those young apes best at monitoring the intentions, mental states and preferences of others and most motivated to attract and appeal to caretakers. Not only were youngsters acquiring information in social contexts different from those of other apes, but they would also have been emotionally and neurophysiologically different from them in ways that are relevant to how humans learn. Contingently delivered rewards to dependents who attracted and ingratiated themselves with allomothers shaped their behaviours and vocalizations and transformed the way developing youngsters learned from others and internalized their preferences. This article is part of the theme issue 'Life history and learning: how childhood, caregiving and old age shape cognition and culture in humans and other animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Judith M Burkart
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8051 Zurich, Switzerland
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Acevedo BP, Poulin MJ, Collins NL, Brown LL. After the Honeymoon: Neural and Genetic Correlates of Romantic Love in Newlywed Marriages. Front Psychol 2020; 11:634. [PMID: 32457675 PMCID: PMC7223160 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In Western culture, romantic love is commonly a basis for marriage. Although it is associated with relationship satisfaction, stability, and individual well-being, many couples experience declines in romantic love. In newlyweds, specifically, changes in love predict marital outcomes. However, the biological mechanisms underlying the critical transition to marriage are unknown. Thus, for the first time, we explored the neural and genetic correlates of romantic love in newlyweds. Nineteen first-time newlyweds were scanned (with functional MRI) while viewing face images of the partner versus a familiar acquaintance, around the time of the wedding (T1) and 1 year after (T2). They also provided saliva samples for genetic analysis (AVPR1a rs3, OXTR rs53576, COMT rs4680, and DRD4-7R), and completed self-report measures of relationship quality including the Eros (romantic love) scale. We hypothesized that romantic love is a developed form of the mammalian drive to find, and keep, preferred mates; and that its maintenance is orchestrated by the brain's reward system. Results showed that, at both time points, romantic love maintenance (Eros difference score: T2-T1) was associated with activation of the dopamine-rich substantia nigra in response to face images of the partner. Interactions with vasopressin, oxytocin, and dopamine genes implicated in pair-bonding (AVPR1a rs3, OXTR rs53576, COMT rs4680, and DRD4-7R) also conferred strong activation in the dopamine-rich ventral tegmental area at both time points. Consistent with work highlighting the role of sexual intimacy in relationships, romantic love maintenance showed correlations in the paracentral lobule (genital region) and cortical areas involved in sensory and cognitive processing (occipital, angular gyrus, insular cortex). These findings suggest that romantic love, and its maintenance, are orchestrated by dopamine-, vasopressin- and oxytocin-rich brain regions, as seen in humans and other monogamous animals. We also provide genetic evidence of polymorphisms associated with oxytocin, vasopressin and dopamine function that affect the propensity to sustain romantic love in early stage marriages. We conclude that romantic love maintenance is part of a broad mammalian strategy for reproduction and long-term attachment that is influenced by basic reward circuitry, complex cognitive processes, and genetic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca P. Acevedo
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Michael J. Poulin
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Nancy L. Collins
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Lucy L. Brown
- Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
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Barron AB, Hare B. Prosociality and a Sociosexual Hypothesis for the Evolution of Same-Sex Attraction in Humans. Front Psychol 2020; 10:2955. [PMID: 32010022 PMCID: PMC6976918 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Human same-sex sexual attraction (SSSA) has long been considered to be an evolutionary puzzle. The trait is clearly biological: it is widespread and has a strong additive genetic basis, but how SSSA has evolved remains a subject of debate. Of itself, homosexual sexual behavior will not yield offspring, and consequently individuals expressing strong SSSA that are mostly or exclusively homosexual are presumed to have lower fitness and reproductive success. How then did the trait evolve, and how is it maintained in populations? Here we develop a novel argument for the evolution of SSSA that focuses on the likely adaptive social consequences of SSSA. We argue that same sex sexual attraction evolved as just one of a suite of traits responding to strong selection for ease of social integration or prosocial behavior. A strong driver of recent human behavioral evolution has been selection for reduced reactive aggression, increased social affiliation, social communication, and ease of social integration. In many prosocial mammals sex has adopted new social functions in contexts of social bonding, social reinforcement, appeasement, and play. We argue that for humans the social functions and benefits of sex apply to same-sex sexual behavior as well as heterosexual behavior. As a consequence we propose a degree of SSSA, was selected for in recent human evolution for its non-conceptive social benefits. We discuss how this hypothesis provides a better explanation for human sexual attractions and behavior than theories that invoke sexual inversion or single-locus genetic models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B. Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Brian Hare
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Center for Cognitive Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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Sato DX, Ishii Y, Nagai T, Ohashi K, Kawata M. Human-specific mutations in VMAT1 confer functional changes and multi-directional evolution in the regulation of monoamine circuits. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:220. [PMID: 31791232 PMCID: PMC6889191 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1543-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurochemicals like serotonin and dopamine play crucial roles in human cognitive and emotional functions. Vesicular monoamine transporter 1 (VMAT1) transports monoamine neurotransmitters, and its variant (136Thr) is associated with various psychopathological symptoms and reduced monoamine uptake relative to 136Ile. We previously showed that two human-specific amino acid substitutions (Glu130Gly and Asn136Thr/Ile) of VMAT1 were subject to positive natural selection. However, the potential functional alterations caused by these substitutions (Glu130Gly and Asn136Thr) remain unclear. To assess functional changes in VMAT1 from an evolutionary perspective, we reconstructed ancestral residues and examined the role of these substitutions in monoamine uptake in vitro using fluorescent false neurotransmitters (FFN), which are newly developed substances used to quantitatively assay VMATs. RESULTS Immunoblotting confirmed that all the transfected YFP-VMAT1 variants are properly expressed in HEK293T cells at comparable levels, and no significant difference was seen in the density and the size of vesicles among them. Our fluorescent assays revealed a significant difference in FFN206 uptake among VMAT1 variants: 130Glu/136Asn, 130Glu/136Thr, and 130Gly/136Ile showed significantly higher levels of FFN206 uptake than 130Gly/136Asn and 130Gly/136Thr, indicating that both 130Glu and 136Ile led to increased neurotransmitter uptake, for which 136Thr and 136Asn were comparable by contrast. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that monoamine uptake by VMAT1 initially declined (from 130Glu/136Asn to 130Gly/136Thr) in human evolution, possibly resulting in higher susceptibility to the external environment of our ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiki X Sato
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Yuu Ishii
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Nagai
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Kazumasa Ohashi
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Masakado Kawata
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan.
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Hrvoj-Mihic B, Semendeferi K. Neurodevelopmental disorders of the prefrontal cortex in an evolutionary context. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2019; 250:109-127. [PMID: 31703898 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex consists of several cytoarchitectonically defined areas that are involved in higher-order cognitive and emotional processing. The areas are highly variable in terms of organization of cortical layers and distribution of specific neuronal classes, and are affected in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Here the focus is on microstructural anatomical characteristics of human prefrontal cortex in an evolutionary context with special emphasis on Williams syndrome. We include a pilot analysis of distribution of neurons labeled with an antibody to non-phosphorylated neurofilament protein (SMI-32) in the frontal pole of Williams syndrome to further examine microstructural characteristics of the prefrontal cortex in Williams syndrome and implications of the distribution of SMI-32 immunoreactive neurons for connectivity between the frontal pole and other cortical areas in the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branka Hrvoj-Mihic
- University of California San Diego, Department of Anthropology, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Katerina Semendeferi
- University of California San Diego, Department of Anthropology, La Jolla, CA, United States; University of California San Diego, Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, La Jolla, CA, United States.
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Human Self-Domestication and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis of Addiction: How Humans Evolved a Unique Vulnerability. Neuroscience 2019; 419:100-107. [PMID: 31654715 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.09.013] [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] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Humans are more vulnerable to addiction in comparison to all other mammals, including nonhuman primates, yet there is a lack of research addressing this. This paper reviews the field of comparative addiction neuroscience, highlighting the significant inter-species variation in the mesocortical dopaminergic and other neuromodulatory systems involved in addiction. Artificial selection gives rise to significant changes in neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and behaviour as shown in certain rodent strains and other domesticated animals. These changes occur over a few generations, relatively short periods of time in evolutionary terms, and demonstrate how dynamic these neuromodulatory systems are in response to the environment. During the course of human evolution, traits crucial to our survival, expansion and domination (traits such as the ability to innovate, adapt to different environments and thrive in a civilization) have been positively selected for, yet also predispose humans to addiction. This is evident in our unique neurochemistry and receptor-drug activation potencies. Examples of these are provided as possible targets for precision medicine.
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Abstract
Love is one of our most powerful emotions, inspiring some of the greatest art, literature and conquests of human history. Although aspects of love are surely unique to our species, human romantic relationships are displays of a mating system characterized by pair bonding, likely built on ancient foundational neural mechanisms governing individual recognition, social reward, territorial behaviour and maternal nurturing. Studies in monogamous prairie voles and mice have revealed precise neural mechanisms regulating processes essential for the pair bond. Here, we discuss current viewpoints on the biology underlying pair bond formation, its maintenance and associated behaviours from neural and evolutionary perspectives.
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Burunat E. Love is a physiological motivation (like hunger, thirst, sleep or sex). Med Hypotheses 2019; 129:109225. [PMID: 31371074 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The multitude of terms associated with love has given rise to a false perception of love. In this paper, only maternal and romantic love are considered. Love is usually regarded as a feeling, motivation, addiction, passion, and, above all, an emotion. This confusion has consequences in the lives of human beings, leading not only to divorces, suicides, femicides but possibly also to a number of mental illnesses and suffering. Therefore, it is crucial to first clarify what is meant by emotion, motivation and love. This work aims to finally place love within the category of physiological motivations, such as hunger, thirst, sleep, or sex, on the basis that love is also essential for human survival, especially in childhood. Love is presented from an evolutionary perspective. Some other similarities between love and other physiological motivations are pointed out, such as its importance for appropriate human development, both its ontogeny and its permanence, and the long-lasting consequences of abuse and neglect. There are summarized reasons that account for this, such as the fact that physiological motivations are essential for survival and that love is an essential motivation for the survival of human offspring. Other reasons are that minimum changes in the quantity and quality of love alters development, that there can be a variety of neurophysiological and behavioural states within a motivation, and that motivations (also love) appear and change throughout development. Also, motivations and love sometimes may lead to an addictive behaviour. Finally, it is recognized that once physiological motivations (and love) appear, they become permanent. In a third section, some potential social, cultural, clinical and scientific consequences of the proposed consideration of love as a motivation are discussed. Accordingly, love's recognition as a motivation in the clinical field would imply a better understanding of its disorders and its inclusion in classifications manuals such as The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), or in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Considering love as a motivation rather than an emotion could also impact the results of scientific research (an example is included). A comprehensive understanding of these questions could potentially allow for a new therapeutic approach in the treatment of mental illness, while offering an all-inclusive evolutionary explanation of cultural phenomena such as the origin and diffusion of both language and art. Love should be understood as a physiological motivation, like hunger, sleep or sex, and not as an emotion as it is commonly considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Burunat
- School of Health Sciences/School of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, P.O. Box 456, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
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Williams AC, Hill LJ. Nicotinamide as Independent Variable for Intelligence, Fertility, and Health: Origin of Human Creative Explosions? Int J Tryptophan Res 2019; 12:1178646919855944. [PMID: 31258332 PMCID: PMC6585247 DOI: 10.1177/1178646919855944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Meat and nicotinamide acquisition was a defining force during the 2-million-year evolution of the big brains necessary for, anatomically modern, Homo sapiens to survive. Our next move was down the food chain during the Mesolithic 'broad spectrum', then horticultural, followed by the Neolithic agricultural revolutions and progressively lower average 'doses' of nicotinamide. We speculate that a fertility crisis and population bottleneck around 40 000 years ago, at the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, was overcome by Homo (but not the Neanderthals) by concerted dietary change plus profertility genes and intense sexual selection culminating in behaviourally modern Homo sapiens. Increased reliance on the 'de novo' synthesis of nicotinamide from tryptophan conditioned the immune system to welcome symbionts, such as TB (that excrete nicotinamide), and to increase tolerance of the foetus and thereby fertility. The trade-offs during the warmer Holocene were physical and mental stunting and more infectious diseases and population booms and busts. Higher nicotinamide exposure could be responsible for recent demographic and epidemiological transitions to lower fertility and higher longevity, but with more degenerative and auto-immune disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian C Williams
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lisa J Hill
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Simpson SW, Levin NE, Quade J, Rogers MJ, Semaw S. Ardipithecus ramidus postcrania from the Gona Project area, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia. J Hum Evol 2019; 129:1-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Hewlett SE, Delahunt Smoleniec JD, Wareham DM, Pyne TM, Barron AB. Biogenic amine modulation of honey bee sociability and nestmate affiliation. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0205686. [PMID: 30359390 PMCID: PMC6201892 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Biogenic amines modulate a range of social behaviours, including sociability and mechanisms of group cohesion, in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Here, we tested if the biogenic amines modulate honey bee (Apis mellifera) sociability and nestmate affiliation. We examined the consequences of treatments with biogenic amines, agonists and antagonists on a bee’s approach to, and subsequent social interactions with, conspecifics in both naturally hive-reared bees and isolated bees. We used two different treatment methods. Bees were first treated topically with compounds dissolved in the solvent dimethylformamide (dMF) applied to the dorsal thorax, but dMF had a significant effect on the locomotion and behaviour of the bees during the behavioural test that interfered with their social responses. Our second method used microinjection to deliver biogenic amines to the head capsule via the ocellar tract. Microinjection of dopamine and a dopamine antagonist had strong effects on bee sociability, likelihood of interaction with bees, and nestmate affiliation. Octopamine treatment reduced social interaction with other bees, and serotonin increased the likelihood of social interactions. HPLC measurements showed that isolation reduced brain levels of biogenic amines compared to hive-reared bees. Our findings suggest that dopamine is an important neurochemical component of social motivation in bees. This finding advances a comparative understanding of the processes of social evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susie E. Hewlett
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail: (SH); (AB)
| | | | - Deborah M. Wareham
- Department of Health Professions, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Thomas M. Pyne
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew B. Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail: (SH); (AB)
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38
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Sato DX, Kawata M. Positive and balancing selection on SLC18A1 gene associated with psychiatric disorders and human-unique personality traits. Evol Lett 2018; 2:499-510. [PMID: 30283697 PMCID: PMC6145502 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of genetic variants susceptible to psychiatric disorders is one of the intriguing evolutionary enigmas. The present study detects three psychiatric disorder‐relevant genes (CLSTN2, FAT1, and SLC18A1) that have been under positive selection during the human evolution. In particular, SLC18A1 (vesicular monoamine transporter 1; VMAT1) gene has a human‐unique variant (rs1390938, Thr136Ile), which is associated with bipolar disorders and/or the anxiety‐related personality traits. 136Ile shows relatively high (20–61%) frequency in non‐African populations, and Tajima's D reports a significant peak around the Thr136Ile site, suggesting that this polymorphism has been positively maintained by balancing selection in non‐African populations. Moreover, Coalescent simulations predict that 136Ile originated around 100,000 years ago, the time being generally associated with the Out‐of‐Africa migration of modern humans. Our study sheds new light on a gene in monoamine pathway as a strong candidate contributing to human‐unique psychological traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiki X Sato
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University Sendai 980-8578 Japan
| | - Masakado Kawata
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University Sendai 980-8578 Japan
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Hlusko LJ. Recent insights into the evolution of quantitative traits in non-human primates. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2018; 53:15-20. [PMID: 29913352 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2018.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The past few years of genetic research on primate quantitative trait variation have been notable in the diversity of phenotypes explored, ranging from classic skeletal measurements to behavior, through to levels of gene expression, and with observations from both captive and wild populations. These studies demonstrate the importance of captive pedigreed breeding colonies, populations that can be matched to their wild counterparts to enable comparison of genetic architectures. Non-human primate genotype:phenotype maps are essential for placing human variation within an evolutionary framework as well as for gaining insight to human biology. While the demographic history of most primates has been fairly stable since the Late Pleistocene, humans experienced a dramatic population expansion that increased the number of rare, mildly deleterious mutations. These rare genetic variants complicate the genotype:phenotype association because they account for a disproportionate amount of the genetic variance and are harder to detect. The similar physiologies of our closest living relatives may prove to be key for overcoming the hurdles posed by humans' peculiar demographic explosion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslea J Hlusko
- Human Evolution Research Center, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Science Bldg, MC-3140, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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40
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Aboitiz F. A Brain for Speech. Evolutionary Continuity in Primate and Human Auditory-Vocal Processing. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:174. [PMID: 29636657 PMCID: PMC5880940 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review article, I propose a continuous evolution from the auditory-vocal apparatus and its mechanisms of neural control in non-human primates, to the peripheral organs and the neural control of human speech. Although there is an overall conservatism both in peripheral systems and in central neural circuits, a few changes were critical for the expansion of vocal plasticity and the elaboration of proto-speech in early humans. Two of the most relevant changes were the acquisition of direct cortical control of the vocal fold musculature and the consolidation of an auditory-vocal articulatory circuit, encompassing auditory areas in the temporoparietal junction and prefrontal and motor areas in the frontal cortex. This articulatory loop, also referred to as the phonological loop, enhanced vocal working memory capacity, enabling early humans to learn increasingly complex utterances. The auditory-vocal circuit became progressively coupled to multimodal systems conveying information about objects and events, which gradually led to the acquisition of modern speech. Gestural communication accompanies the development of vocal communication since very early in human evolution, and although both systems co-evolved tightly in the beginning, at some point speech became the main channel of communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Aboitiz
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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41
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Abstract
Panid, gorillid, and hominid social structures appear to have diverged as dramatically as did their locomotor patterns as they emerged from a late Miocene last common ancestor (LCA). Despite their elimination of the sectorial canine complex and adoption of bipedality with its attendant removal of their ready access to the arboreal canopy, Australopithecus was able to easily invade novel habitats after florescence from its likely ancestral genus, Ardipithecus sp. Other hominoids, unable to sustain sufficient population growth, began an inexorable decline, culminating in their restriction to modern refugia. Success similar to that of earliest hominids also characterizes several species of macaques, often termed "weed species." We here review their most salient demographic features and find that a key element is irregularly elevated female survival. It is reasonable to conclude that a similar feature characterized early hominids, most likely made possible by the adoption of social monogamy. Reduced female mortality is a more probable key to early hominid success than a reduction in birth space, which would have been physiologically more difficult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard S Meindl
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242;
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242
| | - Morgan E Chaney
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242
| | - C Owen Lovejoy
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242;
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242
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Wallace IJ, Hainline C, Lieberman DE. Sports and the human brain: an evolutionary perspective. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 158:3-10. [PMID: 30482358 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63954-7.00001-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
An evolutionary perspective helps explain a conundrum faced by sports neurologists: why is the human brain dependent on physical activity to function optimally, yet simultaneously susceptible to harm from particular types of athletics? For millions of years, human bodies and brains co-evolved to meet the physical and cognitive demands of the uniquely human subsistence strategy of hunting and gathering. Natural selection favored bodies with adaptations for endurance-based physical activity patterns, whereas brains were selected to be big and powerful to navigate the complex cultural and ecologic landscapes of hunter-gatherers. Human brains require physical activity to function optimally because their physiology evolved among individuals who were rarely able to avoid regular physical activity. Moreover, because energy from food was limited, human brains, like most energetically costly physiologic systems, evolved to require stimuli from physical activity to adjust capacity to demand. Consequently, human brains are poorly adapted to excessive physical inactivity. In addition, while brain enlargement during human evolution was vital to successful hunting and gathering, it came at the cost of a decreased ability to withstand brain accelerations and decelerations, which commonly occur during contact/collision sports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Wallace
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Clotilde Hainline
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Daniel E Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
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