1
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Lyras GA, Werdelin L, van der Geer BGM, van der Geer AAE. Fossil brains provide evidence of underwater feeding in early seals. Commun Biol 2023; 6:747. [PMID: 37591929 PMCID: PMC10435510 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05135-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Pinnipeds (seals and related species) use their whiskers to explore their environment and locate their prey. Today they live mostly in marine habitats and are adapted for a highly specialised amphibious lifestyle with their flippers for locomotion and a hydrodynamically streamlined body. The earliest pinnipeds, however, lived on land and in freshwater habitats, much like mustelids today. Here we reconstruct the underwater foraging behaviour of one of these earliest pinnipeds (Potamotherium), focusing in particular on how it used its whiskers (vibrissae). For this purpose, we analyse the coronal gyrus of the brain of 7 fossil and 31 extant carnivorans. This region receives somatosensory input from the head. Our results show that the reliance on whiskers in modern pinnipeds is an ancestral feature that favoured survival of stem pinnipeds in marine habitats. This study provides insights into an impressive ecological transition in carnivoran evolution: from terrestrial to amphibious marine species. Adaptations for underwater foraging were crucial for this transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- George A Lyras
- Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, Department of Historical Geology-Palaeontology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Zografos, Greece
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE-10405, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Alexandra A E van der Geer
- Vertebrate Evolution, Development and Ecology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, 2333 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands.
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, 2311 EZ, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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2
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Jiangzuo Q, Werdelin L, Sanisidro O, Yang R, Fu J, Li S, Wang S, Deng T. Origin of adaptations to open environments and social behaviour in sabretoothed cats from the northeastern border of the Tibetan Plateau. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230019. [PMID: 37072045 PMCID: PMC10113030 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The iconic sabretooth Homotherium is thought to have hunted cooperatively, but the origin of this behaviour and correlated morphological adaptations are largely unexplored. Here we report the most primitive species of Amphimachairodus (Amphimachairodus hezhengensis sp. nov.), a member of Machairodontini basal to Homotherium, from the Linxia Basin, northeastern border of the Tibetan Plateau (9.8-8.7 Ma). The long snout, laterally oriented and posteriorly located orbit of Amphimachairodus suggest a better ability to observe the surrounding environment, rather than targeting single prey, pointing to an adaptation to the open environment or social behaviour. A pathological forepaw of Amphimachairodus provides direct evidence of partner care. Our analyses of trait evolutionary rates support that traits correlated with killing behaviour and open environment adaptation evolved prior to other traits, suggesting that changes in hunting behaviour may be the major evolutionary driver in the early evolution of the lineage. A. hezhengensis represents one of the most important transitions in the evolution of Machairodontini, leading to adaptation in open environments and contributing to their further dispersal and radiation worldwide. This rapid morphological change is likely to be correlated with increasingly arid environments caused by the rise of the Tibetan Plateau, and competition from abundant large carnivores in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qigao Jiangzuo
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024-5102, USA
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Oscar Sanisidro
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, GloCEE -Global Change Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Alcalá de Henares 28801, Spain
| | - Rong Yang
- Hezheng Paleozoological Museum, Hezheng 731200, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiao Fu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Shijie Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Shiqi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Deng
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
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3
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Ericson PGP, Irestedt M, Zuccon D, Larsson P, Tison JL, Emslie SD, Götherström A, Hume JP, Werdelin L, Qu Y. A 14,000-year-old genome sheds light on the evolution and extinction of a Pleistocene vulture. Commun Biol 2022; 5:857. [PMID: 35999361 PMCID: PMC9399080 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03811-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The New World Vulture [Coragyps] occidentalis (L. Miller, 1909) is one of many species that were extinct by the end of the Pleistocene. To understand its evolutionary history we sequenced the genome of a 14,000 year old [Coragyps] occidentalis found associated with megaherbivores in the Peruvian Andes. occidentalis has been viewed as the ancestor, or possibly sister, to the extant Black Vulture Coragyps atratus, but genomic data shows occidentalis to be deeply nested within the South American clade of atratus. Coragyps atratus inhabits lowlands, but the fossil record indicates that occidentalis mostly occupied high elevations. Our results suggest that occidentalis evolved from a population of atratus in southwestern South America that colonized the High Andes 300 to 400 kya. The morphological and morphometric differences between occidentalis and atratus may thus be explained by ecological diversification following from the natural selection imposed by this new and extreme, high elevation environment. The sudden evolution of a population with significantly larger body size and different anatomical proportions than atratus thus constitutes an example of punctuated evolution. 14,000 year old DNA reveals the evolutionary dynamics and adaptations of South American vultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per G P Ericson
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-10405, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Martin Irestedt
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-10405, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dario Zuccon
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR7205 CNRS MNHN UPMC EPHE Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Petter Larsson
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-10405, Stockholm, Sweden.,Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jean-Luc Tison
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Örebro University Hospital; Södra Grev Rosengatan, SE-70185, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Steven D Emslie
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina; Wilmington, 601S. College Road, Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA
| | - Anders Götherström
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julian P Hume
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Akeman St, Tring, Herts, UK
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-10405, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yanhua Qu
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-10405, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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4
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Rowan J, Lazagabaster IA, Campisano CJ, Bibi F, Bobe R, Boisserie JR, Frost SR, Getachew T, Gilbert CC, Lewis ME, Melaku S, Scott E, Souron A, Werdelin L, Kimbel WH, Reed KE. Early Pleistocene large mammals from Maka'amitalu, Hadar, lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13210. [PMID: 35411256 PMCID: PMC8994497 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The Early Pleistocene was a critical time period in the evolution of eastern African mammal faunas, but fossil assemblages sampling this interval are poorly known from Ethiopia's Afar Depression. Field work by the Hadar Research Project in the Busidima Formation exposures (~2.7-0.8 Ma) of Hadar in the lower Awash Valley, resulted in the recovery of an early Homo maxilla (A.L. 666-1) with associated stone tools and fauna from the Maka'amitalu basin in the 1990s. These assemblages are dated to ~2.35 Ma by the Bouroukie Tuff 3 (BKT-3). Continued work by the Hadar Research Project over the last two decades has greatly expanded the faunal collection. Here, we provide a comprehensive account of the Maka'amitalu large mammals (Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Primates, and Proboscidea) and discuss their paleoecological and biochronological significance. The size of the Maka'amitalu assemblage is small compared to those from the Hadar Formation (3.45-2.95 Ma) and Ledi-Geraru (2.8-2.6 Ma) but includes at least 20 taxa. Bovids, suids, and Theropithecus are common in terms of both species richness and abundance, whereas carnivorans, equids, and megaherbivores are rare. While the taxonomic composition of the Maka'amitalu fauna indicates significant species turnover from the Hadar Formation and Ledi-Geraru deposits, turnover seems to have occurred at a constant rate through time as taxonomic dissimilarity between adjacent fossil assemblages is strongly predicted by their age difference. A similar pattern characterizes functional ecological turnover, with only subtle changes in dietary proportions, body size proportions, and bovid abundances across the composite lower Awash sequence. Biochronological comparisons with other sites in eastern Africa suggest that the taxa recovered from the Maka'amitalu are broadly consistent with the reported age of the BKT-3 tuff. Considering the age of BKT-3 and biochronology, a range of 2.4-1.9 Ma is most likely for the faunal assemblage.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Rowan
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, Albany, New York, United States
| | | | - Christopher J. Campisano
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
| | | | - René Bobe
- Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution, Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, School of Anthropology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom,Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique,Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behavior (ICArEHB), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Jean-Renaud Boisserie
- Laboratoire Paléontologie Évolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France,Centre Français des Etudes Ethiopiennes (CNRS and Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, Ambassade de France, Ethiopia), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Stephen R. Frost
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States
| | - Tomas Getachew
- Laboratoire Paléontologie Évolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France,Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Christopher C. Gilbert
- Department of Anthropology, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, United States,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, United States
| | - Margaret E. Lewis
- Biology Program, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Stockton University, Galloway, New Jersey, United States
| | - Sahleselasie Melaku
- Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,Paleoanthropology and Paleoenvironment Program, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Eric Scott
- Cogstone Resource Management Inc, Orange, California, United States,Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California, United States
| | | | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - William H. Kimbel
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
| | - Kaye E. Reed
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
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5
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Werdelin L, Kitchener AC, Abramov A, Veron G, Do Linh San E. The Scientific Name of the Aardwolf is Proteles cristatus. African Journal of Wildlife Research 2021. [DOI: 10.3957/056.051.0149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrew C. Kitchener
- Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, U.K
| | - Alexei Abramov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Géraldine Veron
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP 51, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Emmanuel Do Linh San
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Fort Hare, Alice, 5700, South Africa
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6
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Westbury MV, Barnett R, Sandoval-Velasco M, Gower G, Vieira FG, de Manuel M, Hansen AJ, Yamaguchi N, Werdelin L, Marques-Bonet T, Gilbert MTP, Lorenzen ED. A genomic exploration of the early evolution of extant cats and their sabre-toothed relatives. Open Res Eur 2021; 1:25. [PMID: 35098251 PMCID: PMC7612286 DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.13104.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Background: The evolutionary relationships of Felidae during their Early-Middle Miocene radiation is contentious. Although the early common ancestors have been subsumed under the grade-group Pseudaelurus, this group is thought to be paraphyletic, including the early ancestors of both modern cats and extinct sabretooths. Methods: Here, we sequenced a draft nuclear genome of Smilodon populator, dated to 13,182 ± 90 cal BP, making this the oldest palaeogenome from South America to date, a region known to be problematic for ancient DNA preservation. We analysed this genome, together with genomes from other extinct and extant cats to investigate their phylogenetic relationships. Results: We confirm a deep divergence (~20.65 Ma) within sabre-toothed cats. Through the analysis of both simulated and empirical data, we show a lack of gene flow between Smilodon and contemporary Felidae. Conclusions: Given that some species traditionally assigned to Pseudaelurus originated in the Early Miocene ~20 Ma, this indicates that some species of Pseudaelurus may be younger than the lineages they purportedly gave rise to, further supporting the hypothesis that Pseudaelurus was paraphyletic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael V Westbury
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ross Barnett
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Graham Gower
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Filipe Garrett Vieira
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Marc de Manuel
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anders J Hansen
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nobuyuki Yamaguchi
- Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Eline D Lorenzen
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark
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7
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Westbury MV, Le Duc D, Duchêne DA, Krishnan A, Prost S, Rutschmann S, Grau JH, Dalen L, Weyrich A, Norén K, Werdelin L, Dalerum F, Schöneberg T, Hofreiter M. Ecological Specialisation and Evolutionary Reticulation in Extant Hyaenidae. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:3884-3897. [PMID: 34426844 PMCID: PMC8382907 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
During the Miocene, Hyaenidae was a highly diverse family of Carnivora that has since been severely reduced to four species: the bone-cracking spotted, striped, and brown hyenas, and the specialized insectivorous aardwolf. Previous studies investigated the evolutionary histories of the spotted and brown hyenas, but little is known about the remaining two species. Moreover, the genomic underpinnings of scavenging and insectivory, defining traits of the extant species, remain elusive. Here, we generated an aardwolf genome and analyzed it together with the remaining three species to reveal their evolutionary relationships, genomic underpinnings of their scavenging and insectivorous lifestyles, and their respective genetic diversities and demographic histories. High levels of phylogenetic discordance suggest gene flow between the aardwolf lineage and the ancestral brown/striped hyena lineage. Genes related to immunity and digestion in the bone-cracking hyenas and craniofacial development in the aardwolf showed the strongest signals of selection, suggesting putative key adaptations to carrion and termite feeding, respectively. A family-wide expansion in olfactory receptor genes suggests that an acute sense of smell was a key early adaptation. Finally, we report very low levels of genetic diversity within the brown and striped hyenas despite no signs of inbreeding, putatively linked to their similarly slow decline in effective population size over the last ∼2 million years. High levels of genetic diversity and more stable population sizes through time are seen in the spotted hyena and aardwolf. Taken together, our findings highlight how ecological specialization can impact the evolutionary history, demographics, and adaptive genetic changes of an evolutionary lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- M V Westbury
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, Potsdam, 14476, Germany.,Section for Evolutionary Genomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Diana Le Duc
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - David A Duchêne
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Arunkumar Krishnan
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Berhampur, Odisha, 760010, India
| | - Stefan Prost
- LOEWE-Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg, 60325, Germany. Frankfurt.,South African National Biodiversity Institute, National Zoological Garden, Pretoria, 0184, South Africa
| | - Sereina Rutschmann
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
| | - Jose H Grau
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, Potsdam, 14476, Germany.,amedes Genetics, amedes Medizinische Dienstleistungen, Berlin, Germany
| | - Love Dalen
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, Stockholm, 10691, Sweden.,Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, Stockholm, 10405, Sweden
| | - Alexandra Weyrich
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Berlin, 10315, Germany
| | - Karin Norén
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, Stockholm, SE-10405, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Dalerum
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden.,Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO-CSIC-PA), Mieres Campus, University of Oviedo, Mieres, Asturias, 33600, Spain.,Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Torsten Schöneberg
- Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Johannisallee 30, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Michael Hofreiter
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
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8
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Westbury MV, Hartmann S, Barlow A, Preick M, Ridush B, Nagel D, Rathgeber T, Ziegler R, Baryshnikov G, Sheng G, Ludwig A, Wiesel I, Dalen L, Bibi F, Werdelin L, Heller R, Hofreiter M. Hyena paleogenomes reveal a complex evolutionary history of cross-continental gene flow between spotted and cave hyena. Sci Adv 2020; 6:eaay0456. [PMID: 32201717 PMCID: PMC7069707 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay0456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The genus Crocuta (African spotted and Eurasian cave hyenas) includes several closely related extinct and extant lineages. The relationships among these lineages, however, are contentious. Through the generation of population-level paleogenomes from late Pleistocene Eurasian cave hyena and genomes from modern African spotted hyena, we reveal the cross-continental evolutionary relationships between these enigmatic hyena lineages. We find a deep divergence (~2.5 Ma) between African and Eurasian Crocuta populations, suggesting that ancestral Crocuta left Africa around the same time as early Homo. Moreover, we find discordance between nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies and evidence for bidirectional gene flow between African and Eurasian Crocuta after the lineages split, which may have complicated prior taxonomic classifications. Last, we find a number of introgressed loci that attained high frequencies within the recipient lineage, suggesting some level of adaptive advantage from admixture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael V. Westbury
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stefanie Hartmann
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Axel Barlow
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Michaela Preick
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Bogdan Ridush
- Department of Physical Geography, Geomorphology and Paleogeography, Chernivtsi ‘Yuriy Fed'kovych’ National University, Kotsubynskogo 2, 58012 Chernivtsi, Ukraine
| | - Doris Nagel
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Rathgeber
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Reinhard Ziegler
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Gennady Baryshnikov
- Laboratory of Theriology, Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Guilian Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Arne Ludwig
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, 10315 Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute, Humboldt University Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ingrid Wiesel
- Brown Hyena Research Project, Luderitz, Namibia, Centre of Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Love Dalen
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Faysal Bibi
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rasmus Heller
- Section of Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael Hofreiter
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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Faurby S, Silvestro D, Werdelin L, Antonelli A. Brain expansion in early hominins predicts carnivore extinctions in East Africa. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:537-544. [PMID: 31943670 PMCID: PMC7079157 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
While the anthropogenic impact on ecosystems today is evident, it remains unclear if the detrimental effect of hominins on co-occurring biodiversity is a recent phenomenon or has also been the pattern for earlier hominin species. We test this using the East African carnivore fossil record. We analyse the diversity of carnivores over the last four million years and investigate whether any decline is related to an increase in hominin cognitive capacity, vegetation changes or climatic changes. We find that extinction rates in large carnivores correlate with increased hominin brain size and with vegetation changes, but not with precipitation or temperature changes. While temporal analyses cannot distinguish between the effects of vegetation changes and hominins, we show through spatial analyses of contemporary carnivores in Africa that only hominin causation is plausible. Our results suggest that substantial anthropogenic influence on biodiversity started millions of years earlier than currently assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Søren Faurby
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, SE, 40530, Göteborg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Box 461, SE, 40530, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Daniele Silvestro
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, SE, 40530, Göteborg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Box 461, SE, 40530, Göteborg, Sweden.,Department of Computational Biology, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE, 10405, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alexandre Antonelli
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, SE, 40530, Göteborg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Box 461, SE, 40530, Göteborg, Sweden.,Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, U.K
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10
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Bibi F, Pante M, Souron A, Stewart K, Varela S, Werdelin L, Boisserie JR, Fortelius M, Hlusko L, Njau J, de la Torre I. Paleoecology of the Serengeti during the Oldowan-Acheulean transition at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania: The mammal and fish evidence. J Hum Evol 2018; 120:48-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/14/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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11
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Fortelius M, Žliobaitė I, Kaya F, Bibi F, Bobe R, Leakey L, Leakey M, Patterson D, Rannikko J, Werdelin L. An ecometric analysis of the fossil mammal record of the Turkana Basin. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0232. [PMID: 27298463 PMCID: PMC4920289 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although ecometric methods have been used to analyse fossil mammal faunas and environments of Eurasia and North America, such methods have not yet been applied to the rich fossil mammal record of eastern Africa. Here we report results from analysis of a combined dataset spanning east and west Turkana from Kenya between 7 and 1 million years ago (Ma). We provide temporally and spatially resolved estimates of temperature and precipitation and discuss their relationship to patterns of faunal change, and propose a new hypothesis to explain the lack of a temperature trend. We suggest that the regionally arid Turkana Basin may between 4 and 2 Ma have acted as a ‘species factory’, generating ecological adaptations in advance of the global trend. We show a persistent difference between the eastern and western sides of the Turkana Basin and suggest that the wetlands of the shallow eastern side could have provided additional humidity to the terrestrial ecosystems. Pending further research, a transient episode of faunal change centred at the time of the KBS Member (1.87–1.53 Ma), may be equally plausibly attributed to climate change or to a top-down ecological cascade initiated by the entry of technologically sophisticated humans. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Fortelius
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, PO Box 64, Helsinki 00014, Finland Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, Oslo 0316, Norway Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Indrė Žliobaitė
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, PO Box 64, Helsinki 00014, Finland Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT, PO Box 15600, Aalto 00076, Finland
| | - Ferhat Kaya
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, PO Box 64, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Faysal Bibi
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - René Bobe
- Departamento de Antropología, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Louise Leakey
- Turkana Basin Institute, Nairobi, Kenya Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Meave Leakey
- Turkana Basin Institute, Nairobi, Kenya Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - David Patterson
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Janina Rannikko
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, PO Box 64, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, PO Box 50007, Stockholm 104 05, Sweden
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12
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Abstract
The Early Pliocene is a crucial time period in carnivoran evolution. Holarctic carnivoran faunas suffered a turnover event at the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. This event is also observed in Africa but its onset is later and the process more drawn-out. Kanapoi is one of the earliest faunas in Africa to show evidence of a fauna that is more typical Pliocene than Miocene in character. The taxa recovered from Kanapoi are: Torolutra sp., Enhydriodon (2 species), Genetta sp., Helogale sp., Homotherium sp., Dinofelis petteri, Felis sp., and Parahyaena howelli. Analysis of the broader carnivoran context of which Kanapoi is an example shows that all these taxa are characteristic of Plio-Pleistocene African faunas, rather than Miocene ones. While some are still extant and some went extinct in the Early Pleistocene, P. howelli is unique in both originating and going extinct in the Early Pliocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, S-10405 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Margaret E Lewis
- Biology Program, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway, NJ 08205, USA.
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13
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14
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Faurby S, Werdelin L, Svenning JC. The difference between trivial and scientific names: There were never any true cheetahs in North America. Genome Biol 2016; 17:89. [PMID: 27150269 PMCID: PMC4858926 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-016-0943-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Dobrynin et al. (Genome Biol 16:277, 2015) recently published the complete genome of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and provided an exhaustive set of analyses supporting the famously low genetic variation in the species, known for several decades. Their genetic analyses represent state-of-the-art and we do not criticize them. However, their interpretation of the results is inconsistent with current knowledge of cheetah evolution. Dobrynin et al. suggest that the causes of the two inferred bottlenecks at ∼ 100,000 and 10,000 years ago were immigration by cheetahs from North America and end-Pleistocene megafauna extinction, respectively, but the first explanation is impossible and the second implausible.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Faurby
- Section of Biology and Environmental Science, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, 9220, Aalborg, Øst, Denmark. .,Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
| | - L Werdelin
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Palaeobiology, Box 50007, 10405, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J C Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
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15
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DiMaggio EN, Campisano CJ, Rowan J, Dupont-Nivet G, Deino AL, Bibi F, Lewis ME, Souron A, Garello D, Werdelin L, Reed KE, Arrowsmith JR. Late Pliocene fossiliferous sedimentary record and the environmental context of early Homo from Afar, Ethiopia. Science 2015; 347:1355-9. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa1415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Pfeiffer HCV, Løkkegaard A, Zoetmulder M, Friberg L, Werdelin L. Cognitive impairment in early-stage non-demented Parkinson's disease patients. Acta Neurol Scand 2014; 129:307-18. [PMID: 24117192 DOI: 10.1111/ane.12189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In Parkinson's disease (PD), Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and Parkinson's disease-mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) are common. PD-MCI is a risk factor for developing PDD. Knowledge of cognition in early-stages PD is essential in understanding and predicting the dementia process. MATERIALS AND METHODS We describe the cognitive profile in early-stage PD patients with no prior clinical suspicion of cognitive impairment, depression or psychiatric disturbances, and investigate possible features distinguishing patients with cognitive deficits, defining a PD-MCI risk-profile. Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) DaT-scan and neurological examination confirmed the diagnosis. Mini-mental state examination-, Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scoring, Hoehn &Yahr/Activity of Daily Living staging and a neuropsychological test battery were applied. Mild cognitive impairment patients were identified according to modified criteria by Troster necessarily omitting subjective cognitive complaints. 80 patients, mean age 61.0 years (SD 6.6), mean duration of disease 3.4 years (SD 1.2) were included. 76 patients were neuropsychologically tested. RESULTS 26 (34%) patients fulfilled modified PD-MCI criteria, 18 (69%) of these showed episodic memory deficits, 14 (54%) executive dysfunction, 13 (50%) language/praxis deficits, 12 (46%) visuospatial/constructional deficits and 9 (35%) attention/working memory deficits. Cognitive impairment was associated with higher Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating scale (UPDRS)-, bradykinesia- and rigidity scores and more symmetric distribution of symptoms, but not tremor scores. Patients with cognitive impairment were less educated. Other demographic and clinical variables were comparable. CONCLUSIONS 34% of early-stage PD patients without prior clinical suspicion of cognitive impairment exhibit cognitive impairment, which is associated to disease severity, especially bradykinesia, rigidity, axial symptoms and less asymmetry of motor symptoms, even at early disease stages and when cognitive symptoms are mild.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. C. V. Pfeiffer
- Department of Neurology; Bispebjerg University Hospital; Copenhagen Denmark
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine; Bispebjerg University Hospital; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - A. Løkkegaard
- Department of Neurology; Bispebjerg University Hospital; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - M. Zoetmulder
- Department of Neurology; Bispebjerg University Hospital; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - L. Friberg
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine; Bispebjerg University Hospital; Copenhagen Denmark
| | - L. Werdelin
- Department of Neurology; Bispebjerg University Hospital; Copenhagen Denmark
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17
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Barnett R, Yamaguchi N, Shapiro B, Ho SYW, Barnes I, Sabin R, Werdelin L, Cuisin J, Larson G. Revealing the maternal demographic history of Panthera leo using ancient DNA and a spatially explicit genealogical analysis. BMC Evol Biol 2014; 14:70. [PMID: 24690312 PMCID: PMC3997813 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-14-70] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 03/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Understanding the demographic history of a population is critical to conservation and to our broader understanding of evolutionary processes. For many tropical large mammals, however, this aim is confounded by the absence of fossil material and by the misleading signal obtained from genetic data of recently fragmented and isolated populations. This is particularly true for the lion which as a consequence of millennia of human persecution, has large gaps in its natural distribution and several recently extinct populations. Results We sequenced mitochondrial DNA from museum-preserved individuals, including the extinct Barbary lion (Panthera leo leo) and Iranian lion (P. l. persica), as well as lions from West and Central Africa. We added these to a broader sample of lion sequences, resulting in a data set spanning the historical range of lions. Our Bayesian phylogeographical analyses provide evidence for highly supported, reciprocally monophyletic lion clades. Using a molecular clock, we estimated that recent lion lineages began to diverge in the Late Pleistocene. Expanding equatorial rainforest probably separated lions in South and East Africa from other populations. West African lions then expanded into Central Africa during periods of rainforest contraction. Lastly, we found evidence of two separate incursions into Asia from North Africa, first into India and later into the Middle East. Conclusions We have identified deep, well-supported splits within the mitochondrial phylogeny of African lions, arguing for recognition of some regional populations as worthy of independent conservation. More morphological and nuclear DNA data are now needed to test these subdivisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross Barnett
- Durham Evolution and Ancient DNA, Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
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18
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19
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Sheng GL, Soubrier J, Liu JY, Werdelin L, Llamas B, Thomson VA, Tuke J, Wu LJ, Hou XD, Chen QJ, Lai XL, Cooper A. Pleistocene Chinese cave hyenas and the recent Eurasian history of the spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta. Mol Ecol 2013; 23:522-33. [PMID: 24320717 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2013] [Revised: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The living hyena species (spotted, brown, striped and aardwolf) are remnants of a formerly diverse group of more than 80 fossil species, which peaked in diversity in the Late Miocene (about 7-8 Ma). The fossil history indicates an African origin, and morphological and ancient DNA data have confirmed that living spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) of Africa were closely related to extinct Late Pleistocene cave hyenas from Europe and Asia. The current model used to explain the origins of Eurasian cave hyena populations invokes multiple migrations out of Africa between 3.5-0.35 Ma. We used mitochondrial DNA sequences from radiocarbon-dated Chinese Pleistocene hyena specimens to examine the origin of Asian populations, and temporally calibrate the evolutionary history of spotted hyenas. Our results support a far more recent evolutionary timescale (430-163 kya) and suggest that extinct and living spotted hyena populations originated from a widespread Eurasian population in the Late Pleistocene, which was only subsequently restricted to Africa. We developed statistical tests of the contrasting population models and their fit to the fossil record. Coalescent simulations and Bayes Factor analysis support the new radiocarbon-calibrated timescale and Eurasian origins model. The new Eurasian biogeographic scenario proposed for the hyena emphasizes the role of the vast steppe grasslands of Eurasia in contrast to models only involving Africa. The new methodology for combining genetic and geological data to test contrasting models of population history will be useful for a wide range of taxa where ancient and historic genetic data are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gui-Lian Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China; Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
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20
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Yamaguchi N, Driscoll CA, Werdelin L, Abramov AV, Csorba G, Cuisin J, Fernholm B, Hiermeier M, Hills D, Hunter L, Itakura H, Johansson US, Kascheev V, Krohmann K, Martin T, Nowak-Kemp M, Pavlinov IY, Renoud F, Tomsett L, Mije SVD, Zholnerovskaya E, Groves C, Kitchener AC, Nijman V, Macdonald DW. Locating Specimens of Extinct Tiger (Panthera tigris) Subspecies: Javan Tiger (P. T. sondaica), Balinese Tiger (P. T. balica), and Caspian Tiger (P. T. virgata), Including Previously Unpublished Specimens. Mammal Study 2013. [DOI: 10.3106/041.038.0307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Raia P, Carotenuto F, Passaro F, Piras P, Fulgione D, Werdelin L, Saarinen J, Fortelius M. Rapid action in the Palaeogene, the relationship between phenotypic and taxonomic diversification in Coenozoic mammals. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20122244. [PMID: 23173207 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A classic question in evolutionary biology concerns the tempo and mode of lineage evolution. Considered variously in relation to resource utilization, intrinsic constraints or hierarchic level, the question of how evolutionary change occurs in general has continued to draw the attention of the field for over a century and a half. Here we use the largest species-level phylogeny of Coenozoic fossil mammals (1031 species) ever assembled and their body size estimates, to show that body size and taxonomic diversification rates declined from the origin of placentals towards the present, and very probably correlate to each other. These findings suggest that morphological and taxic diversifications of mammals occurred hierarchically, with major shifts in body size coinciding with the birth of large clades, followed by taxonomic diversification within these newly formed clades. As the clades expanded, rates of taxonomic diversification proceeded independently of phenotypic evolution. Such a dynamic is consistent with the idea, central to the Modern Synthesis, that mammals radiated adaptively, with the filling of adaptive zones following the radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Raia
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi Federico II, Largo San Marcellino 10, 80138 Napoli, Italy.
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Werdelin L, Lewis ME. Temporal change in functional richness and evenness in the eastern African plio-pleistocene carnivoran guild. PLoS One 2013; 8:e57944. [PMID: 23483948 PMCID: PMC3590191 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2012] [Accepted: 01/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We analyze functional richness and functional evenness of the carnivoran guild in eastern Africa from 3.5 Ma to 1.5 Ma, and compare them to the present day. The data consist of characters of the craniodental apparatus of 76 species of fossil and extant carnivorans, divided into four 0.5 Ma time slices from 3.5 to 1.5 Ma, together with the modern fauna. Focus is on large (>21.5 kg) carnivores. Results show that the large carnivore guild has lost nearly 99% of its functional richness since 3.5 Ma, in a process starting prior to 2 Ma. Measurement of functional evenness shows the modern large carnivore guild to be unique in being randomly distributed in morphospace while in all past time slices there is significant clustering of species. The results are analyzed in the light of known changes to climate and environment in eastern Africa. We conclude that climate change is unlikely to explain all of the changes found and suggest that the evolution of early hominins into carnivore niche space, especially the evolution of derived dietary strategies after 2 Ma, played a significant part in the reduction of carnivore functional richness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeozoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Werdelin L. Un nuevo género y especie de Felidae (Mammalia) de la isla de Rusinga, Kenia, con notas sobre los primeros Felidae de África. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.3989/egeol.40480.185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Los depósitos del Mioceno inferior de la formación Hiwegi, en la Isla de Rusinga (Kenia), han proporcionado un espécimen aislado de un pequeño félido. Esta pieza, identificada aquí como holotipo de un nuevo género y especie, es del tamaño del félido actual más pequeño. Presenta algunos caracteres de los félidos primitivos de “grado Pseudaelurus”, pero también rasgos tanto métricos como morfológicos que son intermedios entre este grado y los Felidae modernos, sugiriendo que se trata de un taxón transicional. Por el contrario, Diamantofelis y Namafelis de Namibia, aunque de morfología aberrante, son más claramente del “grado Pseudaelurus”. El espécimen de Rusinga es el félido más derivado del Mioceno inferior.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of electromyography (EMG) recorded from the external anal sphincter (EAS) in the diagnosis of atypical parkinsonian syndromes is a matter for continuous debate. Most studies addressing this issue are retrospective. METHODS In this study, we prospectively investigated six patients with Parkinson's Disease (IPD), 14 patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and eight with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) using EMG of the EAS, motor-evoked potential (MEP) to the EAS and EMG of m. gastrocnemius and nerve conduction velocity measured at the sural nerve. Patients were followed up for 2 years to secure correct diagnosis. RESULTS The mean duration of motor unit potentials (MUPs) recorded from the EAS was significantly longer in patients with MSA and PSP compared with MUPs recorded from patients with PD (P < 0.005 for both). There were no signs of diffuse loss of motor neurons or peripheral neuropathy. MEP revealed signs of supranuclear affection in patients with MSA, whereas in patients with PSP the mechanism is a focal loss of motor neurons in Onuf's nucleus. CONCLUSION Abnormal EMG of the EAS is strongly suggestive of atypical parkinsonism and the pathophysiology may be different in patients with MSA and PSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Winge
- Copenhagen Movement Disorders Centre, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen NV, Denmark.
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Dehghani R, Wanntorp L, Pagani P, Källersjö M, Werdelin L, Veron G. Phylogeography of the white-tailed mongoose (Herpestidae, Carnivora, Mammalia) based on partial sequences of the mtDNA control region. J Zool (1987) 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00502.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Gustafsson A, Werdelin L, Tullberg BS, Lindenfors P. Stature and sexual stature dimorphism in Sweden, from the 10th to the end of the 20th century. Am J Hum Biol 2008; 19:861-70. [PMID: 17712787 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.20657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Mean stature in a population has been observed to vary with living conditions. If, and how, this affects sexual dimorphism in stature is not fully understood. We analyzed stature data from Swedish populations from the 10th to the end of the 20th century to investigate if male stature is more plastic than female stature in response to environmental changes. Further, we examined if there, as a consequence of this, exists an allometric relationship between male and female stature that is not caused by genetic factors, coupling greater stature with greater dimorphism. We found no significant change in stature from the 10th century to the 17th century, but a clear increase in both male and female stature during the 20th century, most likely because of improved living conditions. Regression analyses revealed no consistent change in sexual stature dimorphism over time for any of the time periods, including the 20th century. Further, we found no significant allometric relationship between male and female stature, and could consequently not identify any significant relationship between stature and stature dimorphism. Thus, contrary to previous suggestions, the regressions did not provide support for the assertion that male stature is more sensitive to environmental changes than female stature, nor that stature dimorphism increases with increasing stature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Gustafsson
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Scheuer KH, Svenstrup K, Jennum P, Rogvi-Hansen BÁ, Werdelin L, Fenger K, Nielsen JE. Double-blind crossover trial of gabapentin in SPG4-linked hereditary spastic paraplegia. Eur J Neurol 2007; 14:663-6. [PMID: 17539946 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2007.01812.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) are often treated with antispastic drugs to relieve symptoms but documentation is lacking. In this study, gabapentin was tested in a double-blind crossover trial on a group of patients with HSP and linkage to the SPG4 locus. There was no difference between periods with gabapentin and placebo treatment in clinical assessment, self-reported parameters or paired transcranial magnetic stimulation evaluation of motor cortical excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- K H Scheuer
- Department of Neurology, Hillerød Hospital, Denmark.
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Cote S, Werdelin L, Seiffert ER, Barry JC. Additional material of the enigmatic Early Miocene mammal Kelba and its relationship to the order Ptolemaiida. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:5510-5. [PMID: 17372202 PMCID: PMC1838468 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0700441104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Kelba quadeemae, a fossil mammal from the Early Miocene of East Africa, was originally named on the basis of three isolated upper molars. Kelba has previously been interpreted as a creodont, a pantolestid, an insectivoran, and a hemigaline viverrid. The true affinities of this taxon have remained unclear because of the limited material and its unique morphology relative to other Miocene African mammals. New material of Kelba from several East African Miocene localities, most notably a skull from the Early Miocene locality of Songhor in Western Kenya, permits analysis of the affinities of Kelba and documents the lower dentition of this taxon. Morphological comparison of this new material clearly demonstrates that Kelba is a member of the order Ptolemaiida, a poorly understood group whose fossil record was previously restricted to the Oligocene Fayum deposits of northern Egypt. Phylogenetic analysis supports the monophyly of the Ptolemaiida, including Kelba, and recovers two monophyletic clades within the order. We provide new family names for these groups and an emended diagnosis for the order. The discovery of ptolemaiidans from the Miocene of East Africa is significant because it extends the known temporal range of the order by >10 million years and the geographic range by >3,200 km. Although the higher-level affinities of the Ptolemaiida remain obscure, their unique morphology and distribution through a larger area of Africa (and exclusively Africa) lend support to the idea that Ptolemaiida may have an ancient African origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Cote
- Department of Anthropology and Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Jørgensen H, Simonsen L, Werdelin L, Rusborg S, Løkkegaard A. 3.230 Exercise performance in Parkinson's disease before and 3 months after DBS-STN operation. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/s1353-8020(08)70868-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Winge K, Friberg L, Werdelin L, Nielsen KK, Stimpel H. Relationship between nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration, urinary symptoms, and bladder control in Parkinson's disease. Eur J Neurol 2006; 12:842-50. [PMID: 16241972 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2005.01087.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often have lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Studies have indicated a correlation between dopaminergic degeneration and LUTS and presence of overactive bladder. We evaluated 18 patients with Parkinson's disease using single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) imaging of the dopamine transporter with [(123)I]-FP-CIT, and bladder symptoms were assessed using questionnaires and full urodynamic evaluation both in medicated state and after cessation. Bladder symptoms correlated with age, stage and severity of disease but not with uptake of the ligand in the striatum. Patients with bladder symptoms had a significant lower uptake in the striatum compared with patients without LUTS. In patients with severe bladder dysfunction, LUTS correlated with putamen/caudate ratio. The specific binding of the ligand did not correlate with urodynamics parameters or any change in these after wash-out. Our findings suggest that the presence of LUTS is associated with the degeneration of the total number of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurones, whilst the severity of bladder dysfunction is correlated with the relative degeneration of the caudate nucleus. The effects of medication on bladder control, as evaluated by urodynamics are believed to involve structures outside the basal ganglia.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Winge
- Department of Neurology, H:S Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen NV, Denmark.
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Winge K, Stimpel H, Nielsen KK, Friberg L, Werdelin L. Bladder dysfunction in IPD and atypical Parkinsonian disorders – pathophysiology and treatment. Akt Neurol 2005. [DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-916315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Knudsen GM, Karlsborg M, Thomsen G, Krabbe K, Regeur L, Nygaard T, Videbaek C, Werdelin L. Imaging of dopamine transporters and D2 receptors in patients with Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2004; 31:1631-8. [PMID: 15583914 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-004-1578-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2004] [Accepted: 04/13/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study was to ascertain whether combined presynaptic and postsynaptic dopaminergic single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanning is useful for differentiation between patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD), patients with multiple system atrophy of the striatonigral type (MSA) and healthy subjects. METHODS SPECT measurements of the dopamine transporter (DAT) were done with 123I-beta-CIT, while for determination of the dopamine D2-like receptors (D2), 123I-epidepride was used. Clinical evaluation and SPECT scans were carried out in 14 patients with IPD, eight patients with MSA and 11 healthy age-matched control subjects. RESULTS Putaminal DAT binding was reduced to 32% of control values in IPD and to 19% of control values in MSA . Significantly higher striatal asymmetry in DAT binding was found in MSA than in controls, but IPD patients had significantly higher asymmetry than MSA patients. Striatal D2 binding did not differ significantly between patients and healthy controls but the ratio between caudate DAT and D2 binding was significantly higher in patients with IPD than in those with MSA, even when disease severity was taken into account. CONCLUSION Patients with reduced striatal 123I-beta-CIT binding and a side-to-side difference greater than 15% are likely to suffer from IPD. Patients with reduced striatal 123I-beta-CIT binding and a side-to-side difference of between 5% and 15% are more likely to have MSA. 123I-epidepride SPECT measurements may add further diagnostic information, since the ratio between DAT and D2 receptor binding is significantly higher in IPD than in MSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Knudsen
- Neurobiology Research Unit 9201, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Abstract
The evolution of cursorial adaptations in Tertiary (65-1.65 Myr ago) carnivores has been a contentious issue. Most such studies have focused on the relationship between hind limb proportions and running speed. Here, we show morphometrically that in extant carnivores, the elbow joint has evolved in two distinct directions with mutually exclusive implications for locomotor ability and prey procurement. Some carnivores retain supinatory ability, allowing them to manipulate prey and other items with the forepaws. Such carnivores can become very large. Other carnivores lose the ability to supinate and become cursors. This allows for only moderate size increase. Modern carnivores above ca. 20 kg body mass are committed to one or other of these strategies. This threshold coincides with a postulated threshold in carnivore physiology. The biaxial pattern mostly follows phylogenetic lines, but a strong selective regime can override this signal, as shown by the extant cheetah. Oligocene (33.7-23.8 Myr ago) and early-middle Miocene (23.8-11.2 Myr ago) carnivores follow the same pattern, though in the Miocene the pattern is shifted towards larger body mass, which may be owing to the extraordinary richness of browsing ungulates at this time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Andersson
- Department of Palaeozoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
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Erdal J, Ostergaard L, Fuglsang-Frederiksen A, Werdelin L, Dalager T, Sjö O, Regeur L. Long-term botulinum toxin treatment of cervical dystonia--EMG changes in injected and noninjected muscles. Clin Neurophysiol 1999; 110:1650-4. [PMID: 10479034 DOI: 10.1016/s1388-2457(99)00127-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate changes in quantitative EMG of injected and noninjected sternocleidomastoid muscles following long-term unilateral botulinum toxin treatment of cervical dystonia. METHODS We investigated 27 patients with cervical dystonia, who received repeated unilateral botulinum toxin injections of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, with quantitative EMG at rest and at maximal voluntary contraction. The patients had on the average 7.1 botulinum toxin treatments and the follow-up period was on the average 31 months (SD 16). RESULTS After the first treatment, the injected sternocleidomastoid muscles showed a significant decrease in turns/s (mean 45%) and amplitude (mean 52%) at rest, and in amplitude at maximal flexion (mean 24%) and rotation (mean 39%). Except for a reduction in turns/s at rotation (mean 19%) no further reductions in EMG parameters were seen after long-term treatment. The contralateral noninjected sternocleidomastoid muscles showed no significant change in EMG activity after the first BT treatment, but after long-term treatment a significant reduction in turns/s and amplitude at both maximal flexion (turns: mean 28%; amplitude: mean 25%) and rotation (turns/s: mean 32%; amplitude: mean 25%) were seen as compared to pretreatment values. CONCLUSION The results indicate that there seems to be no cumulative chemodenervation by repeated botulinum toxin injections of sternocleidomastoid muscles measured by quantitative EMG. Contralateral noninjected sternocleidomastoid muscles however, seem to be affected following long-term treatment. The mechanism behind this finding is unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Erdal
- Department of Neurology, Copenhagen Hospital Corporation, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Abstract
The adaptive significance of the scrotum and the evolution of the descent of the testicles and epididymis have been a focus of interest among biologists for a long time. In this paper we use three anatomical character states of the scrotum and descensus: (1) testicles descended and scrotal; (2) testicles descended but ascrotal; (3) testicles not descended (testicondy). These states are then mapped on an up to date phylogeny of the Mammalia. Three main points arise out of this mapping procedure: (1) the presence of a scrotum is either primitive in extant Mammalia or primitive within eutherian mammals except Insectivora; (2) evolution has generally proceeded from a scrotal condition to progressively more ascrotal; (3) loss of testicular descensus is less common in mammalian evolution than is loss of the scrotum. In the light of these findings we discuss some current hypotheses regarding the origin and evolution of the scrotum. We find that these are all incomplete in so far as it is not the presence of the scrotum in various mammal groups that requires explaining. Instead, it is the reverse process, why the scrotum has been lost in so many groups, that should be explained. We suggest that the scrotum may have evolved before the origin of mammals, in concert with the evolution of endothermy in the mammalian lineage, and that the scrotum has been lost in many groups because descensus in many respects is a costly process that will be lost in mammal lineages as soon as an alternative solution to the problem of the temperature sensitivity of spermatogenesis is available.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Werdelin
- Department of Palaeozoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Løkkegaard T, Nielsen JE, Hasholt L, Fenger K, Werdelin L, Tranebjaerg L, Lauritzen M, Colding-Jørgensen E, Grønbech-Jensen M, Henriksen OA, Sørensen SA. Machado-Joseph disease in three Scandinavian families. J Neurol Sci 1998; 156:152-7. [PMID: 9588850 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-510x(98)00081-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is an autosomal dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by varying age of onset and pronounced phenotypic heterogeneity. The clinical core features include gait ataxia, external ophthalmoplegia, nystagmus, and bulging eyes. Recently, Kawagushi et al. (1994) cloned the MJD1 gene on chromosome 14 and MJD turned out to be the fifth neurodegenerative disease caused by an unstable CAG repeat expansion. We have studied two large Danish families and one Norwegian family with MJD. Three features not previously associated with MJD are reported: dementia, generalized muscle and joint pain, and in one case neuropathological examination revealed atrophy of the inferior olives. We found a significant inverse correlation between age of onset and the length of the CAG repeat expansion, and anticipation is described through four succeeding generations. Instability of the CAG repeat expansion was most pronounced at paternal transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Løkkegaard
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Fuglsang-Frederiksen A, Ostergaard L, Sjö O, Werdelin L, Winkel H. Quantitative electromyographical changes in cervical dystonia after treatment with botulinum toxin. Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol 1998; 38:75-9. [PMID: 9553744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Injection of botulinum toxin (BT) into affected neck muscles gives symptomatic relief to patients with cervical dystonia by causing a presynaptic block of acetylcholine release. In a retrospective study of 19 patients, we used the turns-amplitude analysis of the EMG interference pattern for the evaluation of electrophysiological changes as a function of time after BT treatment. EMG was performed immediately before and during injection, and muscles showing abnormally increased activity (> 100 turns/s at rest) were given botulinum toxin A (Oculinum (= Botox)) 40-120 units. A second EMG was done 6-30 weeks later. At attempted rest, the sternocleidomastoid muscle contralateral to the involuntary head rotation showed the most pronounced changes, possibly due to relatively large doses of BT, and the EMG changes were related to the time after BT treatment. Six weeks after treatment the muscle showed decreased turns/s, mean amplitude and ratio (turns/amplitude) at rest. At 30 weeks, turns and mean amplitude reached values as before treatment, while ratio was increased to 175% of the pre-treatment value. This pattern may reflect a reversible and random loss of muscles fibres, due to presynaptic denervation. At maximal voluntary contractions, no correlation was seen between time after BT treatment and quantitative EMG.
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Nielsen JE, Krabbe K, Jennum P, Koefoed P, Jensen LN, Fenger K, Eiberg H, Hasholt L, Werdelin L, Sørensen SA. Autosomal dominant pure spastic paraplegia: a clinical, paraclinical, and genetic study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1998; 64:61-6. [PMID: 9436729 PMCID: PMC2169895 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.64.1.61] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES At least three clinically indistinguishable but genetically different types of autosomal dominant pure spastic paraplegia (ADPSP) have been described. In this study the clinical, genetic, neurophysiological, and MRI characteristics of ADPSP were investigated. METHODS Sixty three at risk members from five families were clinically evaluated. A diagnostic index was constructed for the study. Microsatellite genotypes were determined for chromosomes 2p, 14q, and 15q markers and multipoint linkage analyses were performed. Central motor conduction time studies (CMCT), somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) measurement, and MRI of the brain and the total spinal cord were carried out in 16 patients from four families. RESULTS The clinical core features of ADPSP were homogeneously expressed in all patients but some features were only found in some families and not in all the patients within the family. In two families non-progressive "congenital" ADPSP was seen in some affected members whereas adult onset progressive ADPSP was present in other affected family members. As a late symptom not previously described low backache was reported by 47%. Age at onset varied widely and there was a tendency for it to decline in successive generations in the families, suggesting anticipation. Genetic linkage analysis confined the ADPSP locus to chromosome 2p21-p24 in the five families. The lod scores obtained by multipoint linkage analysis were positive with a combined maximum lod score of Z=8.60. The neurophysiological studies only showed minor and insignificant prolongation of the central motor conduction time and further that peripheral conduction and integrity of the dorsal columns were mostly normal. Brain and the total spinal cord MRI did not disclose any significant abnormalities compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS ADPSP linked to chromosome 2p21-p24 is a phenotypic heterogeneous disorder characterised by both interfamilial and intrafamilial variation. In some families the disease may be "pure" but the existence of "pure plus" families is suggested in others. The neurophysiological and neuroimaging investigations did not show any major abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- J E Nielsen
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, Laboratory of Medical Genetics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Gredal O, Werdelin L, Bak S, Christensen PB, Boysen G, Kristensen MO, Jespersen JH, Regeur L, Hinge HH, Jensen TS. A clinical trial of dextromethorphan in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neurol Scand 1997; 96:8-13. [PMID: 9262126 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1997.tb00231.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Although the cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is unknown, excitotoxicity mediated by glutamate has been implicated. Dextromethorphan is a NMDA-glutamate receptor antagonist with neuroprotective properties. MATERIAL AND METHODS The effect of treatment with dextromethorphan (150 mg daily) in ALS patients was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Forty-five patients were included in the analysis. RESULTS At the end of the treatment period, 12 months after randomization, 15 patients (65%) in the placebo group and 12 patients (55 %) in the dextromethorphan group were still alive (log rank test, P=0.49). Rates of disease progression, as expressed by rates of decline in pulmonary function and in functional disability, were similar in both groups except for a significantly less pronounced rate of decline in the ability scores for the lower extremities in the dextromethorphan group. CONCLUSION Treatment with a relatively low dose of dextromethorphan did not result in an improvement in 12-month survival in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Gredal
- Research Institute of Biological Psychiatry, St Hans Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark
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Gredal O, Rosenbaum S, Topp S, Karlsborg M, Strange P, Werdelin L. Quantification of brain metabolites in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by localized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Neurology 1997; 48:878-81. [PMID: 9109871 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.48.4.878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
We performed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in patients with motor neuron disease (MND) to determine the absolute in vivo concentrations in the brain of the metabolites N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and creatine (Cr/PCr). We examined the spectra acquired from a 20 x 20 x 20-mm3 voxel placed in the motor cortex and in the cerebellum from seven patients with clinically probable or definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) according to the El Escorial criteria, from three patients with suspected ALS (progressive muscular atrophy), and from eight normal control subjects. We estimated the concentrations of the metabolites using the water signal as an internal standard. The concentrations of Cho and Cr/PCr in both brain regions, as well as the concentration of NAA in the cerebellum, were unaltered in the MND patients compared with the controls. Only MND patients with both upper and lower motor neuron signs had a significantly decreased concentration of NAA (9.13 +/- 0.28 mM, mean +/- SEM) in the primary motor cortex when compared with healthy controls (10.03 +/- 0.22 mM). In conclusion, the slightly decreased concentration of NAA in the primary motor cortex from ALS patients may represent a loss of neurons in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Gredal
- Research Institute of Biological Psychiatry, St. Hans Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark
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Karlsborg M, Smed A, Jespersen H, Stephensen S, Cortsen M, Jennum P, Herning M, Korfitsen E, Werdelin L. A prospective study of 39 patients with whiplash injury. Acta Neurol Scand 1997; 95:65-72. [PMID: 9059723 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1997.tb00071.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The acute symptoms after whiplash traumas can be explained by the neck sprain, but the pathogenesis of the "late whiplash syndrome" and the reason why only some people have persistent symptoms more than 6 months is still unknown. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-four consecutive cases of whiplash injury were examined clinically three times; within 14 days, after 1 month and finally 7 months postinjury. In addition, MRI of the brain and the cervical spine, neuropsychological tests and motor evoked potentials (MEP) were done one month postinjury and repeated after 6 months, if abnormalities were found. RESULTS The total recovery rate (asymptomatic patients) was 29% after 7 months. MRI was repeated in 6 patients. The correlation between MRI and the clinical findings was poor. Cognitive dysfunction as a symptom of brain injury was not found. Stress at the same time predicted more symptoms at follow-up. All MEP examinations were normal. CONCLUSION In this study, long-lasting distress and poor outcome were more related to the occurrence of stressful life events than to clinical and paraclinical findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Karlsborg
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
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46
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Graham RW, Lundelius EL, Graham MA, Schroeder EK, Toomey RS, Anderson E, Barnosky AD, Burns JA, Churcher CS, Grayson DK, Guthrie RD, Harington CR, Jefferson GT, Martin LD, McDonald HG, Morlan RE, Semken HA, Webb SD, Werdelin L, Wilson MC. Spatial Response of Mammals to Late Quaternary Environmental Fluctuations. Science 1996; 272:1601-6. [PMID: 8662471 DOI: 10.1126/science.272.5268.1601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 221] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Analyses of fossil mammal faunas from 2945 localities in the United States demonstrate that the geographic ranges of individual species shifted at different times, in different directions, and at different rates in response to late Quaternary environmental fluctuations. The geographic pattern of faunal provinces was similar for the late Pleistocene and late Holocene, but differing environmental gradients resulted in dissimilar species composition for these biogeographic regions. Modern community patterns emerged only in the last few thousand years, and many late Pleistocene communities do not have modern analogs. Faunal heterogeneity was greater in the late Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- RW Graham
- R. W. Graham, M. A. Graham, E. K. Schroeder, and R. S. Toomey III are at Research and Collections Center, Illinois State Museum, 1011 East Ash, Springfield, IL 62703, USA. E. L. Lundelius Jr., Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA. E. Anderson, Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver, CO 80205, USA. A. D. Barnosky, Mountain Research Center, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA. J. A. Burns, Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5N 0M6. C. S. Churcher, Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1. D. K. Grayson, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. R. D. Guthrie, Department of Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99701, USA. C. R. Harington, Earth Sciences Section (Paleobiology), Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6P4. G. T. Jefferson, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, 200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA 92004, USA. L. D. Martin, Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. H. G. McDonald, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Post Office Box 570, Hagerman, ID 83332, USA. R. E. Morlan, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Post Office Box 3100 Station B, Hull, Quebec, Canada J8X 4H2. H. A. Semken Jr., Department of Geology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. S. D. Webb, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. L. Werdelin, Department of Paleozoology, Swedish Museum, Box 50007, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden. M. C. Wilson, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6
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Ostergaard L, Fuglsang-Frederiksen A, Sjö O, Werdelin L, Winkel H. Quantitative EMG in cervical dystonia. Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol 1996; 36:179-85. [PMID: 8737940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Within the latest years botulinum toxin A (BT) applied locally in affected muscles has gained a superior position in the treatment of cervical dystonia. EMG is often used as a guidance for the injections, which has caused a need for better knowledge about the electromyographic changes in the muscles involved. In the present study we used the turns-amplitude analysis for the quantitative evaluation of the EMG of the sternocleidomastoid muscles and posterior neck muscles in 44 patients with cervical dystonia, not previously treated with BT. Twelve healthy subjects were examined for comparison. At rest 13 patients showed abnormal activity (defined as > 100 turns/s) in the sternocleidomastoid muscle contralateral to the involuntary head rotation (CS) and the ipsi- and contralateral posterior neck muscles (IPN and CPN): 12 patients had abnormal activity in CS and IPN, and seven patients had abnormal activity in all muscles, including the ipsilateral sternocleidomastoid muscle (IS). Other combinations were seen less often. The distribution of muscles with abnormal activity was not always obvious from the clinical examination. CPN and IS, i.e., apparently unaffected muscles, showed reduced EMG activity during attempted maximal voluntary contraction, indicating difficulties in activating all motor units.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Ostergaard
- Department of Neurology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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48
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Ostergaard L, Werdelin L, Odin P, Lindvall O, Dupont E, Christensen PB, Boisen E, Jensen NB, Ingwersen SH, Schmiegelow M. Pen injected apomorphine against off phenomena in late Parkinson's disease: a double blind, placebo controlled study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1995; 58:681-7. [PMID: 7608665 PMCID: PMC1073544 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.58.6.681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The effect, therapeutic dose range, and pharmacokinetics of apomorphine, given as subcutaneous injections by a single use pen, were evaluated in the treatment of off phenomena in 22 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. At study entry a placebo controlled apomorphine test was performed, and apomorphine doses were then individually titrated (mean 3.4 (range 0.8-6.0) mg) and compared with placebo in a double blind cross over phase. With apomorphine compared with placebo the mean daily duration of off periods was reduced by 51% as assessed by the patients and by 58% as assessed by the staff. The severity of off periods was also significantly reduced. The effect was unchanged after a maintenance phase of eight weeks. At study termination 13 of 14 patients were able to inject themselves and 11 of 14 patients found that their feeling of freedom had increased. The most common adverse events were nausea, subcutaneous nodules, and increased frequency of involuntary movements. Pharmacokinetics were linear and did not change with repeat dosing. The tmax ranged from five to 45 minutes (16 patients). It is concluded that pen injected apomorphine is a valuable treatment for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease with on-off phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Ostergaard
- Department of Neurology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Ostergaard L, Fuglsang-Frederiksen A, Werdelin L, Sjö O, Winkel H. Quantitative EMG in botulinum toxin treatment of cervical dystonia. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1994; 93:434-9. [PMID: 7529693 DOI: 10.1016/0168-5597(94)90150-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
We used turns-amplitude analysis of the EMG as a guidance for botulinum toxin (BT) treatment in 19 patients with cervical dystonia. At the first examination, muscles showing abnormal activity (> 100 turns/sec at rest) were given BT 75 units (10 patients) or placebo (9 patients). At subsequent examinations, about 6, 12 and 18 weeks after the start, BT 75 units were given to all hyperactive muscles. Six weeks after the first BT treatment the sternocleidomastoid muscle contralateral to the involuntary head rotation and the ipsilateral and contralateral posterior neck muscles (PNM) showed a reduction of involuntary activity, as indicated by reduced turns/sec and mean amplitude at rest. Similar changes were seen when comparing BT treatment with placebo. The reduction was greater in the contralateral sternocleidomastoid muscle than in PNM, suggesting that PNM need higher doses of BT. At maximal voluntary contraction, BT treated muscles showed unchanged turns/sec (5/6 tests), decreased mean amplitude and increased ratio (turns/amplitude). This may reflect a functional random loss of muscle fibres, combined with inability to activate all motor units. A high (89%) clinical success rate with BT therapy was obtained, and it is concluded that quantitative EMG is a useful tool for the precise identification of hyperactive muscles, for optimal placing of the injection cannula and for unbiased monitoring of the treatment effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Ostergaard
- Department of Neurology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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