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Novaes FC, Natividade JC. The sexual selection of creativity: A nomological approach. Front Psychol 2023; 13:874261. [PMID: 36698589 PMCID: PMC9869285 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.874261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cultural innovations, such as tools and other technical articles useful for survival, imply that creativity is an outcome of evolution. However, the existence of purely ornamental items obfuscates the functional value of creativity. What is the functional or adaptive value of aesthetic and intellectual ornaments? Recent evidence shows a connection between ornamental creativity, an individual's attractiveness, and their reproductive success. However, this association is not sufficient for establishing that creativity in humans evolved by sexual selection. In this critical review, we synthesize findings from many disciplines about the mechanisms, ontogeny, phylogeny, and the function of creativity in sexual selection. Existing research indicates that creativity has the characteristics expected of a trait evolved by sexual selection: genetic basis, sexual dimorphism, wider variety in males, influence of sex hormones, dysfunctional expressions, an advantage in mating in humans and other animals, and psychological modules adapted to mating contexts. Future studies should investigate mixed findings in the existing literature, such as creativity not being found particularly attractive in a non-WEIRD society. Moreover, we identified remaining knowledge gaps and recommend that further research should be undertaken in the following areas: sexual and reproductive correlates of creativity in non-WEIRD societies, relationship between androgens, development, and creative expression, as well as the impact of ornamental, technical and everyday creativity on attractiveness. Evolutionary research should analyze whether being an evolved signal of genetic quality is the only way in which creativity becomes sexually selected and therefore passed on from generation to generation. This review has gone a long way toward integrating and enhancing our understanding of ornamental creativity as a possible sexual selected psychological trait.
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2
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Fields C, Levin M. Competency in Navigating Arbitrary Spaces as an Invariant for Analyzing Cognition in Diverse Embodiments. ENTROPY 2022; 24:e24060819. [PMID: 35741540 PMCID: PMC9222757 DOI: 10.3390/e24060819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
One of the most salient features of life is its capacity to handle novelty and namely to thrive and adapt to new circumstances and changes in both the environment and internal components. An understanding of this capacity is central to several fields: the evolution of form and function, the design of effective strategies for biomedicine, and the creation of novel life forms via chimeric and bioengineering technologies. Here, we review instructive examples of living organisms solving diverse problems and propose competent navigation in arbitrary spaces as an invariant for thinking about the scaling of cognition during evolution. We argue that our innate capacity to recognize agency and intelligence in unfamiliar guises lags far behind our ability to detect it in familiar behavioral contexts. The multi-scale competency of life is essential to adaptive function, potentiating evolution and providing strategies for top-down control (not micromanagement) to address complex disease and injury. We propose an observer-focused viewpoint that is agnostic about scale and implementation, illustrating how evolution pivoted similar strategies to explore and exploit metabolic, transcriptional, morphological, and finally 3D motion spaces. By generalizing the concept of behavior, we gain novel perspectives on evolution, strategies for system-level biomedical interventions, and the construction of bioengineered intelligences. This framework is a first step toward relating to intelligence in highly unfamiliar embodiments, which will be essential for progress in artificial intelligence and regenerative medicine and for thriving in a world increasingly populated by synthetic, bio-robotic, and hybrid beings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Fields
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Science and Engineering Complex, 200 College Ave., Medford, MA 02155, USA;
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Science and Engineering Complex, 200 College Ave., Medford, MA 02155, USA;
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Correspondence:
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3
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Mandalaywala TM. Do nonhuman animals reason about prestige‐based status? SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tara M. Mandalaywala
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts USA
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4
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MacIver MA, Finlay BL. The neuroecology of the water-to-land transition and the evolution of the vertebrate brain. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200523. [PMID: 34957852 PMCID: PMC8710882 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The water-to-land transition in vertebrate evolution offers an unusual opportunity to consider computational affordances of a new ecology for the brain. All sensory modalities are changed, particularly a greatly enlarged visual sensorium owing to air versus water as a medium, and expanded by mobile eyes and neck. The multiplication of limbs, as evolved to exploit aspects of life on land, is a comparable computational challenge. As the total mass of living organisms on land is a hundredfold larger than the mass underwater, computational improvements promise great rewards. In water, the midbrain tectum coordinates approach/avoid decisions, contextualized by water flow and by the animal's body state and learning. On land, the relative motions of sensory surfaces and effectors must be resolved, adding on computational architectures from the dorsal pallium, such as the parietal cortex. For the large-brained and long-living denizens of land, making the right decision when the wrong one means death may be the basis of planning, which allows animals to learn from hypothetical experience before enactment. Integration of value-weighted, memorized panoramas in basal ganglia/frontal cortex circuitry, with allocentric cognitive maps of the hippocampus and its associated cortices becomes a cognitive habit-to-plan transition as substantial as the change in ecology. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm A. MacIver
- Center for Robotics and Biosystems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Barbara L. Finlay
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience Group, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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5
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Ströckens F, Neves K, Kirchem S, Schwab C, Herculano-Houzel S, Güntürkün O. High associative neuron numbers could drive cognitive performance in corvid species. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:1588-1605. [PMID: 34997767 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Corvids possess cognitive skills, matching those of non-human primates. However, how these species with their small brains achieve such feats remains elusive. Recent studies suggest that cognitive capabilities could be based on the total numbers of telencephalic neurons. Here we extend this hypothesis further and posit that especially high neuron counts in associative pallial areas drive flexible, complex cognition. If true, avian species like corvids should specifically accumulate neurons in the avian associative areas meso- and nidopallium. To test the hypothesis, we analyzed the neuronal composition of telencephalic areas in corvids and non-corvids (chicken, pigeons, and ostriches - the species with the largest bird brain). The overall number of pallial neurons in corvids was much higher than in chicken and pigeons and comparable to those of ostriches. However, neuron numbers in the associative mesopallium and nidopallium were twice as high in corvids and, in correlation with these associative areas, the corvid subpallium also contained high neuron numbers. These findings support our hypothesis that large absolute numbers of associative pallial neurons contribute to cognitive flexibility and complexity and are key to explain why crows are smart. Since meso/nidopallial and subpallial areas scale jointly, it is conceivable that associative pallio-striatal loops play a similar role in executive decision-making as described in primates. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Ströckens
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, 44780, Germany.,C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
| | - Kleber Neves
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sina Kirchem
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Christine Schwab
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Department of Psychology, Department of Biological Sciences, Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, 44780, Germany
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6
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Danel S, Bayern AMP, Osiurak F. Great white pelicans (
Pelecanus onocrotalus
) fail to use tools flexibly in problem‐solving tasks. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samara Danel
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Laboratory for the Study of Cognitive Mechanisms University of Lyon Bron Rhône‐Alpes France
| | | | - François Osiurak
- Laboratory for the Study of Cognitive Mechanisms University of Lyon Bron Rhône‐Alpes France
- University Institute of France Paris Ile‐de‐France France
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7
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8
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Chen M, Li G, Liu J, Li S. Large brain size is associated with low extra-pair paternity across bird species. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13601-13608. [PMID: 34646493 PMCID: PMC8495782 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gaining extrapair copulations (EPCs) is a complicated behavior process. The interaction between males and females to procure EPCs may be involved in brain function evolution and lead to a larger brain. Thus, we hypothesized that extrapair paternity (EPP) rate can be predicted by relative brain size in birds. Past work has implied that the EPP rate is associated with brain size, but empirical evidence is rare. METHODS We collated data from published references on EPP levels and brain size of 215 bird species to examine whether the evolution of EPP rate can be predicted by brain size using phylogenetically generalized least square (PGLS) models and phylogenetic path analyses. RESULTS We found that EPP rates (both the percentage EP offspring and percentage of broods with EP offspring) are negatively associated with relative brain size. We applied phylogenetic path analysis to test the causal relationship between relative brain size and EPP rate. Best-supported models (ΔCICc < 2) suggested that large brain lead to reduced EPP rate, which failed to support the hypothesis that high rates of EPP cause the evolution of larger brains. CONCLUSION This study indicates that pursuing EPCs may be a natural instinct in birds and the interaction between males and females for EPCs may lead to large brains, which in turn may restrict their EPC level for both sexes across bird species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Chen
- College of Life ScienceYangtze UniversityJingzhouChina
| | - Guopan Li
- College of Life ScienceYangtze UniversityJingzhouChina
| | - Jinlong Liu
- College of Life ScienceYangtze UniversityJingzhouChina
| | - Shaobin Li
- College of Life ScienceYangtze UniversityJingzhouChina
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecology EngineeringBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
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9
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Animal Creativity as a Function of Behavioral Innovation and Behavior Flexibility in Problem-solving Situations. Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2021; 56:218-233. [PMID: 33733318 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-020-09586-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
A natural approach of animal creativity through insightful problem-solving may offer a panel of how physiological, contextual, cultural and developmental variables related to each other to produce new behaviors. The spontaneous interconnection of acquire behaviors is an Insightful Problem-Solving model based on the new combination and/or chaining of behaviors that were previously and independently trained. This model seems to offer an integrative alternative for the studies of Innovation and Behavioral Flexibility because it allows the research on innovation in a scenario in which the response that solves the problem situation is not available by trial-and-error. Measuring task-appropriateness by behavior flexibility and novelty by behavior innovation under insightful problem-solving paradigm can contribute for the integration of decades of evidence in Cognitive Psychology, Neuro-ethology, Behavior Analysis and Behavioral Neurosciences. The Insightful Problem-Solving allows the independent test of behavioral innovation and behavioral flexibility as it measures the behavioral innovation inside insightful test and tests if the BF depends on variables arranged in the problem-situation and/or on the previous training (e.g. familiarity with access to appetitive stimulus in the pre-test, the number of distinct behaviors trained, and contingency changes in the post-test).
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10
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Castiglione S, Serio C, Piccolo M, Mondanaro A, Melchionna M, Di Febbraro M, Sansalone G, Wroe S, Raia P. The influence of domestication, insularity and sociality on the tempo and mode of brain size evolution in mammals. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The ability to develop complex social bonds and an increased capacity for behavioural flexibility in novel environments have both been forwarded as selective forces favouring the evolution of a large brain in mammals. However, large brains are energetically expensive, and in circumstances in which selective pressures are relaxed, e.g. on islands, smaller brains are selected for. Similar reasoning has been offered to explain the reduction of brain size in domestic species relative to their wild relatives. Herein, we assess the effect of domestication, insularity and sociality on brain size evolution at the macroevolutionary scale. Our results are based on analyses of a 426-taxon tree, including both wild species and domestic breeds. We further develop the phylogenetic ridge regression comparative method (RRphylo) to work with discrete variables and compare the rates (tempo) and direction (mode) of brain size evolution among categories within each of three factors (sociality, insularity and domestication). The common assertion that domestication increases the rate of brain size evolution holds true. The same does not apply to insularity. We also find support for the suggested but previously untested hypothesis that species living in medium-sized groups exhibit faster rates of brain size evolution than either solitary or herding taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Castiglione
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Carmela Serio
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Martina Piccolo
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mondanaro
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Marina Melchionna
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Mirko Di Febbraro
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, C. da Fonte Lappone, 15, Pesche, IS, Italy
| | - Gabriele Sansalone
- Function, Evolution & Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Function, Evolution & Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Pasquale Raia
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
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11
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Laforest K, Peele E, Yopak K. Ontogenetic Shifts in Brain Size and Brain Organization of the Atlantic Sharpnose Shark, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2020; 95:162-180. [DOI: 10.1159/000511304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Throughout an animal’s life, species may occupy different environments and exhibit distinct life stages, known as ontogenetic shifts. The life histories of most sharks (class: Chondrichthyes) are characterized by these ontogenetic shifts, which can be defined by changes in habitat and diet as well as behavioral changes at the onset of sexual maturity. In addition, fishes experience indeterminate growth, whereby the brain and body grow throughout the organism’s life. Despite a presupposed lifelong neurogenesis in sharks, very little work has been done on ontogenetic changes in the brain, which may be informative about functional shifts in sensory and behavioral specializations. This study quantified changes in brain-body scaling and the scaling of six major brain regions (olfactory bulbs, telencephalon, diencephalon, optic tectum, cerebellum, and medulla oblongata) throughout ontogeny in the Atlantic sharpnose shark, <i>Rhizoprionodon terraenovae</i>. As documented in other fishes, brain size increased significantly with body mass throughout ontogeny in this species, with the steepest period of growth in early life. The telencephalon, diencephalon, optic tectum, and medulla oblongata scaled with negative allometry against the rest of the brain throughout ontogeny. However, notably, the olfactory bulbs and cerebellum scaled hyperallometrically to the rest of the brain, whereby these structures enlarged disproportionately as this species matured. Changes in the relative size of the olfactory bulbs throughout ontogeny may reflect an increased reliance on olfaction at later life history stages in <i>R. terraenovae</i>, while changes in the relative size of the cerebellum throughout ontogeny may be indicative of the ability to capture faster prey or an increase in migratory nature as this species moves to offshore habitats, associated with the onset of sexual maturity.
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12
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Abstract
Meaning has traditionally been regarded as a problem for philosophers and psychologists. Advances in cognitive science since the early 1960s, however, broadened discussions of meaning, or more technically, the semantics of perceptions, representations, and/or actions, into biology and computer science. Here, we review the notion of “meaning” as it applies to living systems, and argue that the question of how living systems create meaning unifies the biological and cognitive sciences across both organizational and temporal scales.
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13
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Jiménez-Ortega D, Kolm N, Immler S, Maklakov AA, Gonzalez-Voyer A. Long life evolves in large-brained bird lineages. Evolution 2020; 74:2617-2628. [PMID: 32840865 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The brain is an energetically costly organ that consumes a disproportionate amount of resources. Species with larger brains relative to their body size have slower life histories, with reduced output per reproductive event and delayed development times that can be offset by increasing behavioral flexibility. The "cognitive buffer" hypothesis maintains that large brain size decreases extrinsic mortality due to greater behavioral flexibility, leading to a longer lifespan. Alternatively, slow life histories, and long lifespan can be a pre-adaptation for the evolution of larger brains. Here, we use phylogenetic path analysis to contrast different evolutionary scenarios and disentangle direct and indirect relationships between brain size, body size, life history, and longevity across 339 altricial and precocial bird species. Our results support both a direct causal link between brain size and lifespan, and an indirect effect via other life history traits. These results indicate that large brain size engenders longer life, as proposed by the "cognitive buffer" hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dante Jiménez-Ortega
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, 04510, México.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, 04510, México
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Zoology Department, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Simone Immler
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Alexei A Maklakov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
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14
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Sansalone G, Allen K, Ledogar JA, Ledogar S, Mitchell DR, Profico A, Castiglione S, Melchionna M, Serio C, Mondanaro A, Raia P, Wroe S. Variation in the strength of allometry drives rates of evolution in primate brain shape. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200807. [PMID: 32635870 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Large brains are a defining feature of primates, as is a clear allometric trend between body mass and brain size. However, important questions on the macroevolution of brain shape in primates remain unanswered. Here we address two: (i), does the relationship between the brain size and its shape follow allometric trends and (ii), is this relationship consistent over evolutionary time? We employ three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic comparative methods to answer these questions, based on a large sample representing 151 species and most primate families. We found two distinct trends regarding the relationship between brain shape and brain size. Hominoidea and Cercopithecinae showed significant evolutionary allometry, whereas no allometric trends were discernible for Strepsirrhini, Colobinae or Platyrrhini. Furthermore, we found that in the taxa characterized by significant allometry, brain shape evolution accelerated, whereas for taxa in which such allometry was absent, the evolution of brain shape decelerated. We conclude that although primates in general are typically described as large-brained, strong allometric effects on brain shape are largely confined to the order's representatives that display more complex behavioural repertoires.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Sansalone
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia
| | - K Allen
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, MO, USA.,Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St Louis, Washington, MO, USA
| | - J A Ledogar
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - S Ledogar
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia.,Department of Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology, School of Humanities, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia
| | - D R Mitchell
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia.,Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Old Main 330, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - A Profico
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - S Castiglione
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - M Melchionna
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - C Serio
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy.,Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - A Mondanaro
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy.,Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Italy
| | - P Raia
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - S Wroe
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia
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15
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Arold ST. Intrinsic negative feedback as a limiting factor for the evolution of higher forms of intelligence. F1000Res 2020; 9:34. [PMID: 34504689 PMCID: PMC8408545 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.22039.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Longstanding scientific efforts have been dedicated to answer why and how our particular intelligence is generated by our brain but not by the brain of other species. However, surprisingly little effort has been made to ask why no other species ever developed an intelligence similar to ours. Here, I explore this question based on genetic and paleontologic evidence. Contrary to the established view, this review suggests that the developmental hurdles alone are not high enough to explain the uniqueness of human intelligence (HI). As an additional explanation I propose that HI is normally not retained by natural selection, because it is, under most conditions, an intrinsically unfavourable trait. This unfavourableness, however, cannot be explained by physical constraints alone; rather, it may also be rooted in the same emotional and social complexity that is necessary for the development of HI. Thus, a major obstacle towards HI may not be solely the development of the required physical assets, but also to cope with harmful individual, social and environmental feedback intrinsically associated with this trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan T Arold
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, MK, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.,Centre de Biologie Structurale, CNRS, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
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16
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Saniotis A, Grantham JP, Kumaratilake J, Henneberg M. Neuro-hormonal Regulation Is a Better Indicator of Human Cognitive Abilities Than Brain Anatomy: The Need for a New Paradigm. Front Neuroanat 2020; 13:101. [PMID: 31998082 PMCID: PMC6962128 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2019.00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Saniotis
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Knowledge University, Erbil, Iraq
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit (BACARU), Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- *Correspondence: Arthur Saniotis
| | - James P. Grantham
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit (BACARU), Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jaliya Kumaratilake
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit (BACARU), Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Maciej Henneberg
- Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit (BACARU), Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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17
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Amici F, Widdig A, Lehmann J, Majolo B. A meta-analysis of interindividual differences in innovation. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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18
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Fristoe TS, Botero CA. Alternative ecological strategies lead to avian brain size bimodality in variable habitats. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3818. [PMID: 31444351 PMCID: PMC6707158 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11757-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecological contexts that promote larger brains have received considerable attention, but those that result in smaller-than-expected brains have been largely overlooked. Here, we use a global sample of 2062 species to provide evidence that metabolic and life history tradeoffs govern the evolution of brain size in birds and play an important role in defining the ecological strategies capable of persisting in Earth's most thermally variable and unpredictable habitats. While some birds cope with extreme winter conditions by investing in large brains (e.g., greater capacity for planning, innovation, and behavioral flexibility), others have small brains and invest instead in traits that allow them to withstand or recover from potentially deadly events. Specifically, these species are restricted to large body sizes, diets consisting of difficult-to-digest but readily available foods, and high reproductive output. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of considering strategic tradeoffs when investigating potential drivers of brain size evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor S Fristoe
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1137, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130-4899, USA.
| | - Carlos A Botero
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1137, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130-4899, USA
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Finlay B. Generic Homo sapiens and Unique Mus musculus: Establishing the Typicality of the Modeled and the Model Species. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2019; 93:122-136. [DOI: 10.1159/000500111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The question of how complex human abilities evolved, such as language or face recognition, has been pursued by means of multiple strategies. Highly specialized non-human species have been examined analytically for formal similarities, close phylogenetic relatives have been examined for continuity, and simpler species have been analyzed for the broadest view of functional organization. All these strategies require empirical evidence of what is variable and predictable in both the modeled and the model species. Turning to humans, allometric analyses of the evolution of brain mass and brain components often return the interesting, but disappointing answer that volumetric organization of the human brain is highly predictable seen in its phylogenetic context. Reconciling this insight with unique human behavior, or any species-typical behavior, represents a serious challenge. Allometric analyses of the order and duration of mammalian neural development show that, while basic neural development in humans is allometrically predictable, conforming to adult neural architecture, some life history features deviate, notably that weaning is unusually early. Finally, unusual deviations in the retina and central auditory system in the laboratory mouse, which is widely assumed to be “generic,” as well as severe deviations from expected brain allometry in some mouse strains, underline the need for a deeper understanding of phylogenetic variability even in those systems believed to be best understood.
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20
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Papini MR, Penagos-Corzo JC, Pérez-Acosta AM. Avian Emotions: Comparative Perspectives on Fear and Frustration. Front Psychol 2019; 9:2707. [PMID: 30705652 PMCID: PMC6344452 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotions are complex reactions that allow individuals to cope with significant positive and negative events. Research on emotion was pioneered by Darwin’s work on emotional expressions in humans and animals. But Darwin was concerned mainly with facial and bodily expressions of significance for humans, citing mainly examples from mammals (e.g., apes, dogs, and cats). In birds, emotional expressions are less evident for a human observer, so a different approach is needed. Understanding avian emotions will provide key evolutionary information on the evolution of related behaviors and brain circuitry. Birds and mammals are thought to have evolved from different groups of Mesozoic reptiles, theropod dinosaurs and therapsids, respectively, and therefore, their common ancestor is likely to be a basal reptile living about 300 million years ago, during the Carboniferous or Permian period. Yet, birds and mammals exhibit extensive convergence in terms of relative brain size, high levels of activity, sleep/wakefulness cycles, endothermy, and social behavior, among others. This article focuses on two basic emotions with negative valence: fear and frustration. Fear is related to the anticipation of dangerous or threatening stimuli (e.g., predators or aggressive conspecifics). Frustration is related to unexpected reward omissions or devaluations (e.g., loss of food or sexual resources). These results have implications for an understanding of the conditions that promote fear and frustration and for the evolution of supporting brain circuitry.
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21
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Muthukrishna M, Doebeli M, Chudek M, Henrich J. The Cultural Brain Hypothesis: How culture drives brain expansion, sociality, and life history. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006504. [PMID: 30408028 PMCID: PMC6224031 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last few million years, the hominin brain more than tripled in size. Comparisons across evolutionary lineages suggest that this expansion may be part of a broader trend toward larger, more complex brains in many taxa. Efforts to understand the evolutionary forces driving brain expansion have focused on climatic, ecological, and social factors. Here, building on existing research on learning, we analytically and computationally model the predictions of two closely related hypotheses: The Cultural Brain Hypothesis and the Cumulative Cultural Brain Hypothesis. The Cultural Brain Hypothesis posits that brains have been selected for their ability to store and manage information, acquired through asocial or social learning. The model of the Cultural Brain Hypothesis reveals relationships between brain size, group size, innovation, social learning, mating structures, and the length of the juvenile period that are supported by the existing empirical literature. From this model, we derive a set of predictions-the Cumulative Cultural Brain Hypothesis-for the conditions that favor an autocatalytic take-off characteristic of human evolution. This narrow evolutionary pathway, created by cumulative cultural evolution, may help explain the rapid expansion of human brains and other aspects of our species' life history and psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Muthukrishna
- Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Michael Doebeli
- Department of Zoology / Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maciej Chudek
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Joseph Henrich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada
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22
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Hawkes K, Finlay BL. Mammalian brain development and our grandmothering life history. Physiol Behav 2018; 193:55-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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23
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Zaidel DW. Culture and art: Importance of art practice, not aesthetics, to early human culture. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2018; 237:25-40. [PMID: 29779738 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Art is expressed in multiple formats in today's human cultures. Physical traces of stone tools and other archaeological landmarks suggest early nonart cultural behavior and symbolic cognition in the early Homo sapiens (HS) who emerged ~300,000-200,000 years ago in Africa. Fundamental to art expression is the neural underpinning for symbolic cognition, and material art is considered its prime example. However, prior to producing material art, HS could have exploited symbolically through art-rooted biological neural pathways for social purpose, namely, those controlling interpersonal motoric coordination and sound codependence. Aesthetics would not have been the primary purpose; arguments for group dance and rhythmical musical sounds are offered here. In addition, triggers for symbolic body painting are discussed. These cultural art formats could well have preceded material art and would have enhanced unity, inclusiveness, and cooperative behavior, contributing significantly to already existing nonart cultural practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dahlia W Zaidel
- Department of Psychology and Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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24
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Vachon F, Whitehead H, Frasier TR. What factors shape genetic diversity in cetaceans? Ecol Evol 2018; 8:1554-1572. [PMID: 29435232 PMCID: PMC5792597 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Revised: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding what factors drive patterns of genetic diversity is a central aspect of many biological questions, ranging from the inference of historical demography to assessing the evolutionary potential of a species. However, as a larger number of datasets have become available, it is becoming clear that the relationship between the characteristics of a species and its genetic diversity is more complex than previously assumed. This may be particularly true for cetaceans, due to their relatively long lifespans, long generation times, complex social structures, and extensive ranges. In this study, we used microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA data from a systematic literature review to produce estimates of diversity for both markers across 42 cetacean species. Factors relating to demography, distribution, classification, biology, and behavior were then tested using phylogenetic methods and linear models to assess their relative influence on the genetic diversity of both marker types. The results show that while relative nuclear diversity is correlated with population size, mitochondrial diversity is not. This is particularly relevant given the widespread use of mitochondrial DNA to infer historical demography. Instead, mitochondrial diversity was mostly influenced by the range and social structure of the species. In addition to population size, habitat type (neritic vs. oceanic) had a significant correlation with relative nuclear diversity. Combined, these results show that many often-unconsidered factors are likely influencing patterns of genetic diversity in cetaceans, with implications regarding how to interpret, and what can be inferred from, existing patterns of diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicia Vachon
- Department of BiologyDalhousie UniversityHalifaxNSCanada
| | - Hal Whitehead
- Department of BiologyDalhousie UniversityHalifaxNSCanada
| | - Timothy R. Frasier
- Department of Biology and Forensic Sciences ProgrammeSaint Mary's UniversityHalifaxNSCanada
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25
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Whiten A, van de Waal E. Social learning, culture and the ‘socio-cultural brain’ of human and non-human primates. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 82:58-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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26
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Fox KCR, Muthukrishna M, Shultz S. The social and cultural roots of whale and dolphin brains. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:1699-1705. [PMID: 29038481 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0336-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Encephalization, or brain expansion, underpins humans' sophisticated social cognition, including language, joint attention, shared goals, teaching, consensus decision-making and empathy. These abilities promote and stabilize cooperative social interactions, and have allowed us to create a 'cognitive' or 'cultural' niche and colonize almost every terrestrial ecosystem. Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) also have exceptionally large and anatomically sophisticated brains. Here, by evaluating a comprehensive database of brain size, social structures and cultural behaviours across cetacean species, we ask whether cetacean brains are similarly associated with a marine cultural niche. We show that cetacean encephalization is predicted by both social structure and by a quadratic relationship with group size. Moreover, brain size predicts the breadth of social and cultural behaviours, as well as ecological factors (diversity of prey types and to a lesser extent latitudinal range). The apparent coevolution of brains, social structure and behavioural richness of marine mammals provides a unique and striking parallel to the large brains and hyper-sociality of humans and other primates. Our results suggest that cetacean social cognition might similarly have arisen to provide the capacity to learn and use a diverse set of behavioural strategies in response to the challenges of social living.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kieran C R Fox
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Michael Muthukrishna
- Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, WC2A 2AE, UK.,Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Susanne Shultz
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
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27
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Big brains stabilize populations and facilitate colonization of variable habitats in birds. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:1706-1715. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0316-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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28
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Sayol F, Maspons J, Lapiedra O, Iwaniuk AN, Székely T, Sol D. Environmental variation and the evolution of large brains in birds. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13971. [PMID: 28004733 PMCID: PMC5192215 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental variability has long been postulated as a major selective force in the evolution of large brains. However, assembling evidence for this hypothesis has proved difficult. Here, by combining brain size information for over 1,200 bird species with remote-sensing analyses to estimate temporal variation in ecosystem productivity, we show that larger brains (relative to body size) are more likely to occur in species exposed to larger environmental variation throughout their geographic range. Our reconstructions of evolutionary trajectories are consistent with the hypothesis that larger brains (relative to body size) evolved when the species invaded more seasonal regions. However, the alternative—that the species already possessed larger brains when they invaded more seasonal regions—cannot be completely ruled out. Regardless of the exact mechanism, our findings provide strong empirical support for the association between large brains and environmental variability. Environmental variation has been hypothesized to favour the evolution of large brains capable of adjusting behaviour to changing circumstances. Here, Sayol et al. find that across more than 1200 bird species, species with relatively large brains are indeed associated with more variable habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferran Sayol
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Catalonia, Spain
| | - Joan Maspons
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Catalonia, Spain
| | - Oriol Lapiedra
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01238, USA
| | - Andrew N Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Tamás Székely
- Milner Centre of Evolution, Department of Biology &Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Daniel Sol
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Catalonia, Spain.,CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Catalonia, Spain
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29
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Muthukrishna M, Henrich J. Innovation in the collective brain. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:rstb.2015.0192. [PMID: 26926282 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Innovation is often assumed to be the work of a talented few, whose products are passed on to the masses. Here, we argue that innovations are instead an emergent property of our species' cultural learning abilities, applied within our societies and social networks. Our societies and social networks act as collective brains. We outline how many human brains, which evolved primarily for the acquisition of culture, together beget a collective brain. Within these collective brains, the three main sources of innovation are serendipity, recombination and incremental improvement. We argue that rates of innovation are heavily influenced by (i) sociality, (ii) transmission fidelity, and (iii) cultural variance. We discuss some of the forces that affect these factors. These factors can also shape each other. For example, we provide preliminary evidence that transmission efficiency is affected by sociality--languages with more speakers are more efficient. We argue that collective brains can make each of their constituent cultural brains more innovative. This perspective sheds light on traits, such as IQ, that have been implicated in innovation. A collective brain perspective can help us understand otherwise puzzling findings in the IQ literature, including group differences, heritability differences and the dramatic increase in IQ test scores over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Muthukrishna
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Department of Social Psychology, London School of Economics, London WC2A 3LJ, UK
| | - Joseph Henrich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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30
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Adjusting foraging strategies: a comparison of rural and urban common mynas (Acridotheres tristis). Anim Cogn 2016; 20:65-74. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-1045-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2016] [Revised: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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31
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Vincze O. Light enough to travel or wise enough to stay? Brain size evolution and migratory behavior in birds. Evolution 2016; 70:2123-33. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Orsolya Vincze
- MTA-DE “Lendület” Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology; University of Debrecen; Debrecen H-4032 Hungary
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology; Babeş-Bolyai University; Cluj-Napoca 400006 Romania
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32
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Abstract
The presence of general intelligence poses a major evolutionary puzzle, which has led to increased interest in its presence in nonhuman animals. The aim of this review is to critically evaluate this question and to explore the implications for current theories about the evolution of cognition. We first review domain-general and domain-specific accounts of human cognition in order to situate attempts to identify general intelligence in nonhuman animals. Recent studies are consistent with the presence of general intelligence in mammals (rodents and primates). However, the interpretation of a psychometric g factor as general intelligence needs to be validated, in particular in primates, and we propose a range of such tests. We then evaluate the implications of general intelligence in nonhuman animals for current theories about its evolution and find support for the cultural intelligence approach, which stresses the critical importance of social inputs during the ontogenetic construction of survival-relevant skills. The presence of general intelligence in nonhumans implies that modular abilities can arise in two ways, primarily through automatic development with fixed content and secondarily through learning and automatization with more variable content. The currently best-supported model, for humans and nonhuman vertebrates alike, thus construes the mind as a mix of skills based on primary and secondary modules. The relative importance of these two components is expected to vary widely among species, and we formulate tests to quantify their strength.
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33
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Bailey J. Monkey-based research on human disease: the implications of genetic differences. Altern Lab Anim 2016; 42:287-317. [PMID: 25413291 DOI: 10.1177/026119291404200504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Assertions that the use of monkeys to investigate human diseases is valid scientifically are frequently based on a reported 90-93% genetic similarity between the species. Critical analyses of the relevance of monkey studies to human biology, however, indicate that this genetic similarity does not result in sufficient physiological similarity for monkeys to constitute good models for research, and that monkey data do not translate well to progress in clinical practice for humans. Salient examples include the failure of new drugs in clinical trials, the highly different infectivity and pathology of SIV/HIV, and poor extrapolation of research on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and stroke. The major molecular differences underlying these inter-species phenotypic disparities have been revealed by comparative genomics and molecular biology - there are key differences in all aspects of gene expression and protein function, from chromosome and chromatin structure to post-translational modification. The collective effects of these differences are striking, extensive and widespread, and they show that the superficial similarity between human and monkey genetic sequences is of little benefit for biomedical research. The extrapolation of biomedical data from monkeys to humans is therefore highly unreliable, and the use of monkeys must be considered of questionable value, particularly given the breadth and potential of alternative methods of enquiry that are currently available to scientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrod Bailey
- New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS), Boston, MA, USA
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34
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Droege G, Töpfer T. The Corvids Literature Database--500 years of ornithological research from a crow's perspective. DATABASE-THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DATABASES AND CURATION 2016; 2016:bav122. [PMID: 26868053 PMCID: PMC4750550 DOI: 10.1093/database/bav122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Corvids (Corvidae) play a major role in ornithological research. Because of their worldwide distribution, diversity and adaptiveness, they have been studied extensively. The aim of the Corvids Literature Database (CLD, http://www.corvids.de/cld) is to record all publications (citation format) on all extant and extinct Crows, Ravens, Jays and Magpies worldwide and tag them with specific keywords making them available for researchers worldwide. The self-maintained project started in 2006 and today comprises 8000 articles, spanning almost 500 years. The CLD covers publications from 164 countries, written in 36 languages and published by 8026 authors in 1503 journals (plus books, theses and other publications). Forty-nine percent of all records are available online as full-text documents or deposited in the physical CLD archive. The CLD contains 442 original corvid descriptions. Here, we present a metadata assessment of articles recorded in the CLD including a gap analysis and prospects for future research. Database URL:http://www.corvids.de/cld
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Droege
- Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin, Koenigin-Luise-Str. 6-8, Berlin 14195, Germany Section Ornithology, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Centre for Taxonomy and Evolutionary Research, Adenauerallee 160, Bonn 53113, Germany
| | - Till Töpfer
- Section Ornithology, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Centre for Taxonomy and Evolutionary Research, Adenauerallee 160, Bonn 53113, Germany
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35
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Bridging the Gap Between Cross-Taxon and Within-Species Analyses of Behavioral Innovations in Birds. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
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36
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Balanoff AM, Smaers JB, Turner AH. Brain modularity across the theropod-bird transition: testing the influence of flight on neuroanatomical variation. J Anat 2015; 229:204-14. [PMID: 26538376 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Living birds constitute the only vertebrate group whose brain volume relative to body size approaches the uniquely expanded values expressed by mammals. The broad suite of complex behaviors exhibited by crown-group birds, including sociality, vocal learning, parental care, and flying, suggests the origins of their encephalization was likely driven by a mosaic of selective pressures. If true, the historical pattern of brain expansion may be more complex than either a gradual expansion, as proposed by early studies of the avian brain, or a sudden expansion correlating with the appearance of flight. The origins of modern avian neuroanatomy are obscured by the more than 100 million years of evolution along their phylogenetic stem (from the origin of the modern radiation in the Middle Jurassic to the split from crocodile-line archosaurs). Here we use phylogenetic comparative approaches to explore which evolutionary scenarios best explain variation in measured volumes of digitally partitioned endocasts of modern birds and their non-avian ancestors. Our analyses suggest that variation in the relative volumes of the endocranium and cerebrum explain most of the structural variation in this lineage. Generalized multi-regime Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) models suggest that powered flight does not appear to be a driver of observed variation, reinforcing the hypothesis that the deep history of the avian brain is complex, with nuances still to be discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M Balanoff
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Jeroen B Smaers
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Alan H Turner
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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37
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Finlay BL, Uchiyama R. Developmental mechanisms channeling cortical evolution. Trends Neurosci 2015; 38:69-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2014.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Revised: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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38
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Kotchoubey B. Objectivity of human consciousness is a product of tool usage. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1152. [PMID: 25346714 PMCID: PMC4191348 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Boris Kotchoubey
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen Tübingen, Germany
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39
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Ducatez S, Clavel J, Lefebvre L. Ecological generalism and behavioural innovation in birds: technical intelligence or the simple incorporation of new foods? J Anim Ecol 2014; 84:79-89. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Accepted: 05/30/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Ducatez
- Department of Biology; McGill University; 1205, avenue Docteur Penfield Montréal QC H3A 1B1 Canada
| | - Joanne Clavel
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management; Division of Organisms and Environment; University of California; Berkeley CA 94720-3114 USA
| | - Louis Lefebvre
- Department of Biology; McGill University; 1205, avenue Docteur Penfield Montréal QC H3A 1B1 Canada
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Schluessel V. Who would have thought that 'Jaws' also has brains? Cognitive functions in elasmobranchs. Anim Cogn 2014; 18:19-37. [PMID: 24889655 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0762-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Revised: 05/20/2014] [Accepted: 05/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Adaptation of brain structures, function and higher cognitive abilities most likely have contributed significantly to the evolutionary success of elasmobranchs, but these traits remain poorly studied when compared to other vertebrates, specifically mammals. While the pallium of non-mammalian vertebrates lacks the mammalian neocortical organization responsible for all cognitive abilities of mammals, several behavioural and neuroanatomical studies in recent years have clearly demonstrated that elasmobranchs, just like teleosts and other non-mammalian vertebrates, can nonetheless solve a multitude of cognitive tasks. Sharks and rays can learn and habituate, possess spatial memory; can orient according to different orientation strategies, remember spatial and discrimination tasks for extended periods of time, use tools; can imitate and learn from others, distinguish between conspecifics and heterospecifics, discriminate between either visual objects or electrical fields; can categorize visual objects and perceive illusory contours as well as bilateral symmetry. At least some neural correlates seem to be located in the telencephalon, with some pallial regions matching potentially homologous areas in other vertebrates where similar functions are being processed. Results of these studies indicate that the assessed cognitive abilities in elasmobranchs are as well developed as in teleosts or other vertebrates, aiding them in fundamental activities such as food retrieval, predator avoidance, mate choice and habitat selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Schluessel
- Institute of Zoology, Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelm Universität Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, Meckenheimer Allee 169, 53115, Bonn, Germany,
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Zaidel DW. Creativity, brain, and art: biological and neurological considerations. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:389. [PMID: 24917807 PMCID: PMC4041074 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Creativity is commonly thought of as a positive advance for society that transcends the status quo knowledge. Humans display an inordinate capacity for it in a broad range of activities, with art being only one. Most work on creativity’s neural substrates measures general creativity, and that is done with laboratory tasks, whereas specific creativity in art is gleaned from acquired brain damage, largely in observing established visual artists, and some in visual de novo artists (became artists after the damage). The verb “to create” has been erroneously equated with creativity; creativity, in the classic sense, does not appear to be enhanced following brain damage, regardless of etiology. The turning to communication through art in lieu of language deficits reflects a biological survival strategy. Creativity in art, and in other domains, is most likely dependent on intact and healthy knowledge and semantic conceptual systems, which are represented in several pathways in the cortex. It is adversely affected when these systems are dysfunctional, for congenital reasons (savant autism) or because of acquired brain damage (stroke, dementia, Parkinson’s), whereas inherent artistic talent and skill appear less affected. Clues to the neural substrates of general creativity and specific art creativity can be gleaned from considering that art is produced spontaneously mainly by humans, that there are unique neuroanatomical and neurofunctional organizations in the human brain, and that there are biological antecedents of innovation in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dahlia W Zaidel
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Anderson ML, Finlay BL. Allocating structure to function: the strong links between neuroplasticity and natural selection. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 7:918. [PMID: 24431995 PMCID: PMC3882658 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2013] [Accepted: 12/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A central question in brain evolution is how species-typical behaviors, and the neural function-structure mappings supporting them, can be acquired and inherited. Advocates of brain modularity, in its different incarnations across scientific subfields, argue that natural selection must target domain-dedicated, separately modifiable neural subsystems, resulting in genetically-specified functional modules. In such modular systems, specification of neuron number and functional connectivity are necessarily linked. Mounting evidence, however, from allometric, developmental, comparative, systems-physiological, neuroimaging and neurological studies suggests that brain elements are used and reused in multiple functional systems. This variable allocation can be seen in short-term neuromodulation, in neuroplasticity over the lifespan and in response to damage. We argue that the same processes are evident in brain evolution. Natural selection must preserve behavioral functions that may co-locate in variable amounts with other functions. In genetics, the uses and problems of pleiotropy, the re-use of genes in multiple networks have been much discussed, but this issue has been sidestepped in neural systems by the invocation of modules. Here we highlight the interaction between evolutionary and developmental mechanisms to produce distributed and overlapping functional architectures in the brain. These adaptive mechanisms must be robust to perturbations that might disrupt critical information processing and action selection, but must also recognize useful new sources of information arising from internal genetic or environmental variability, when those appear. These contrasting properties of "robustness" and "evolvability" have been discussed for the basic organization of body plan and fundamental cell physiology. Here we extend them to the evolution and development, "evo-devo," of brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L. Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Franklin & Marshall CollegeLancaster, PA, USA
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of MarylandCollege Park, MD, USA
| | - Barbara L. Finlay
- Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience Group, Department of Psychology, Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY, USA
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Gainotti G. Controversies over the mechanisms underlying the crucial role of the left fronto-parietal areas in the representation of tools. Front Psychol 2013; 4:727. [PMID: 24137144 PMCID: PMC3797468 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 09/20/2013] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Anatomo-clinical and neuroimaging data show that the left fronto-parietal areas play an important role in representing tools. As manipulation is an important source of knowledge about tools, it has been assumed that motor activity explains the link between tool knowledge and the left fronto-parietal areas. However, controversies exist over the exact mechanisms underlying this relationship. According to a strong version of the “embodied cognition theory,” activation of a tool concept necessarily involves re-enactment of the corresponding kind of action. Impairment of the ability to use tools should, therefore, lead to impairment of tool knowledge. Both the “domains of knowledge hypothesis” and the “sensory-motor model of conceptual knowledge” refute the strong version of the “embodied cognition hypothesis” but acknowledge that manipulation and other action schemata play an important role in our knowledge of tools. The basic difference between these two models is that the former is based on an innate model and the latter holds that the brain’s organization of categories is experience dependent. Data supporting and arguing against each of these models are briefly reviewed. In particular, the following lines of research, which argue against the innate nature of the brain’s categorical organization, are discussed: (1) the observation that in patients with category-specific disorders the semantic impairment does not respect the boundaries between biological entities and artifact items; (2) data showing that experience-driven neuroplasticity in musicians is not confined to alterations of perceptual and motor maps but also leads to the establishment of higher-level semantic representations for musical instruments; (3) results of experiments using previously unfamiliar materials showing that the history of our sensory-motor experience with an object significantly affects its neural representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Gainotti
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Neuropsychological Research, Policlinico 'A. Gemelli', Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Rome, Italy ; Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia Rome, Italy
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