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Cited by 25Morphological variations and asymmetryEvolution and Paleontology StudiesPrimate Behavior and Ecology

Understanding the Evolution of Mammalian Brain Structures; the Need for a (New) Cerebrotype Approach

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Willemet, Romain·2012·Brain Sciences
DOI 10.3390/brainsci2020203PMC PMC4061787
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Abstract

The mammalian brain varies in size by a factor of 100,000 and is composed of anatomically and functionally distinct structures. Theoretically, the manner in which brain composition can evolve is limited, ranging from highly modular (“mosaic evolution”) to coordinated changes in brain structure size (“concerted evolution”) or anything between these two extremes. There is a debate about the relative importance of these distinct evolutionary trends. It is shown here that the presence of taxa-specific allometric relationships between brain structures makes a taxa-specific approach obligatory. In some taxa, the evolution of the size of brain structures follows a unique, coordinated pattern, which, in addition to other characteristics at different anatomical levels, defines what has been called here a “taxon cerebrotype”. In other taxa, no clear pattern is found, reflecting heterogeneity of the species’ lifestyles. These results suggest that the evolution of brain size and composition depends on the complex interplay between selection pressures and constraints that have changed constantly during mammalian evolution. Therefore the variability in brain composition between species should not be considered as deviations from the normal, concerted mammalian trend, but in taxa and species-specific versions of the mammalian brain. Because it forms homogenous groups of species within this complex “space” of constraints and selection pressures, the cerebrotype approach developed here could constitute an adequate level of analysis for evo-devo studies, and by extension, for a wide range of disciplines related to brain evolution.

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  • The systemic interaction between different brain structures is better reflected in approaches that allow assessing the extent to which particular variables differentially contribute to explaining different patterns of covariation between all variables in the model (e.g. principal component analysis).

    “the systemic interaction between different brain structures, in which individual brain structures contribute to different information processing loops to various extents, is better reflected in approaches that allow assessing the extent to which particular variables differentially contribute to explaining different patterns of covariation between all variables in the model (e.g. principal compon”

    From Brain reorganization, not relative brain size, primarily characterizes anthropoid brain evolution (2013) · cites this paper as [18]

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  1. [73]Claude J. Morphometrics with RSeries: Use R Springer-Verlag New York, NY, USA 2008 ISBN: 978-0-387-77789-4.

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Authors
Willemet, R.
Affiliations
105 Chemin de la Salade Ponsan, Toulouse 31400, France
Corresponding author
Willemet, Romain
ORCID
Willemet, Romain
Venue
Brain Sciences
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2012-05-18
Volume
2
Issue
2
Pages
203-224
ISSN
2076-3425 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/brainsci2020203
PMC
PMC4061787
OpenAlex
W2028208668
Cited by
25
References
81
Citations by year
2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2
FWCI
3.67
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Brain Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Geometry and Topology › Morphological variations and asymmetry
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
Keywords
mammalian brain evolution, mosaic evolution, concerted evolution, brain size, brain composition, selection pressure, developmental constraints, evolutionary developmental biology

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