Evolution of cortical geometry and its link to function, behaviour and ecology.

Schwartz, Ernst, Nenning, Karl-Heinz, Heuer, Katja, Jeffery, Nathan ORCID: 0000-0001-5166-2029, Bertrand, Ornella C, Toro, Roberto, Kasprian, Gregor, Prayer, Daniela and Langs, Georg (2023) Evolution of cortical geometry and its link to function, behaviour and ecology. Nature communications, 14 (1). p. 2252.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37574-x

Abstract

Studies in comparative neuroanatomy and of the fossil record demonstrate the influence of socio-ecological niches on the morphology of the cerebral cortex, but have led to oftentimes conflicting theories about its evolution. Here, we study the relationship between the shape of the cerebral cortex and the topography of its function. We establish a joint geometric representation of the cerebral cortices of ninety species of extant Euarchontoglires, including commonly used experimental model organisms. We show that variability in surface geometry relates to species' ecology and behaviour, independent of overall brain size. Notably, ancestral shape reconstruction of the cortical surface and its change during evolution enables us to trace the evolutionary history of localised cortical expansions, modal segregation of brain function, and their association to behaviour and cognition. We find that individual cortical regions follow different sequences of area increase during evolutionary adaptations to dynamic socio-ecological niches. Anatomical correlates of this sequence of events are still observable in extant species, and relate to their current behaviour and ecology. We decompose the deep evolutionary history of the shape of the human cortical surface into spatially and temporally conscribed components with highly interpretable functional associations, highlighting the importance of considering the evolutionary history of cortical regions when studying their anatomy and function.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Cerebral Cortex, Animals, Humans, Ecology, Ecosystem, Mathematics, Fossils, Biological Evolution, Eutheria
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	05 May 2023 07:19
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 07:19
DOI:	10.1038/s41467-023-37574-x
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37574-x
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3170191