Identifying potentially unique features of the human cerebral cortex is a first step to understanding how evolution has shaped the brain in our species. By analyzing MR images obtained from 177 humans and 73 chimpanzees, we observed a human-specific asymmetry in the superior temporal sulcus at the heart of the communication regions and which we have named the "superior temporal asymmetrical pit" (STAP). This 45-mm-long segment ventral to Heschl's gyrus is deeper in the right hemisphere than in the left in 95% of typical human subjects, from infanthood till adulthood, and is present, irrespective of handedness, language lateralization, and sex although it is greater in males than in females. The STAP also is seen in several groups of atypical subjects including persons with situs inversus, autistic spectrum disorder, Turner syndrome, and corpus callosum agenesis. It is explained in part by the larger number of sulcal interruptions in the left than in the right hemisphere. Its early presence in the infants of this study as well as in fetuses and premature infants suggests a strong genetic influence. Because this asymmetry is barely visible in chimpanzees, we recommend the STAP region during midgestation as an important phenotype to investigate asymmetrical variations of gene expression among the primate lineage. This genetic target may provide important insights regarding the evolution of the crucial cognitive abilities sustained by this sulcus in our species, namely communication and social cognition.ince Geschwind and Levitsky's (1) first attempt to identify a specifically human cortical landmark, the identification of unique features of the human brain that might explain the cognitive success of the human species has remained elusive so that anatomical targets still do not exist to inform the search for genetic mutations contributing to the human cognitive phenotype. Because hemispheric asymmetry and language processing are fundamental human traits, the perisylvian language areas have been especially scrutinized for such markers, but until now none has been forthcoming. In particular, the reported asymmetries in the planum temporale and the inferior frontal region are not as robust as initially thought (1-3) and also are observed, albeit often less marked, in other primates (4). However, we show here that asymmetry of the superior temporal sulcus (STS), at the core of the human communication system, represents a species-specific perisylvian anatomical marker. This finding is consistent with functional brain imaging studies that have emphasized the importance of STS not only for language processing in the left hemisphere but also for social communication in the right hemisphere (5, 6). Notably, in the left hemisphere a hierarchy of areas sensitive to increased levels of acoustical complexity is observed along superior temporal regions and become specifically linguistic along the STS (7, 8), whereas in the right hemisphere the presence of areas involved in voice and face recognition, gaze perception, and theory o...

Little is known about the behavior of chimpanzees living in savanna-woodlands, although they are of particular interest to anthropologists for the insight they can provide regarding the ecological pressures affecting early hominins living in similar habitats. Fongoli, Senegal, is the first site where savanna chimpanzees have been habituated for observational data collection and is the hottest and driest site where such observation of chimpanzees occurs today. Previously, indirect evidence suggested these chimpanzees consumed termites throughout the year, an unusual occurrence for western and eastern chimpanzees. Although meat eating by chimpanzees continues to receive much attention, their use of invertebrate prey has received less emphasis in scenarios of hominin evolution. Here, we further examine the invertebrate diet of Fongoli chimpanzees using direct observational methods and accounting for potential environmental influences. Termite feeding positively correlated with high temperatures. Fongoli chimpanzees spend more time obtaining termites than any other chimpanzee population studied, and this extensive insectivory contributes to the list of distinctive behaviors they display relative to chimpanzees living in more forested habitats. We suggest that savanna chimpanzees at Fongoli differ significantly from chimpanzees elsewhere as a result of the selective pressures characterizing their harsh environment, and this contrast provides an example of a viable referential model for better understanding human evolution. Specifically, our results support the hypotheses that invertebrate prey may have figured more prominently into the diet of early hominins in similar habitats, especially given that invertebrates are an important source of protein and other essential nutrients in a highly seasonal environment.

Functional and neuroanatomical asymmetries are an important characteristic of the human brain. The evolution of such specializations in the human cortex has provoked great interest in primate brain evolution. Most research on cortical sulci has revolved around linear measurements, which represent only one dimension of sulci organization. Here, we used a software program (BrainVISA) to quantify asymmetries in cortical depth and surface area from magnetic resonance images in a sample of 127 chimpanzees and 49 macaques. Population brain asymmetries were determined from 11 sulci in chimpanzees and seven sulci in macaques. Sulci were taken from the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes. Population-level asymmetries were evident in chimpanzees for several sulci, including the fronto-orbital, superior precentral, and sylvian fissure sulci. The macaque population did not reveal significant population-level asymmetries, except for surface area of the superior temporal sulcus. The overall results are discussed within the context of the evolution of higher order cognition and motor functions.

Consequences of rearing history in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have been explored in relation to behavioral abnormalities and cognition, however, little is known about the effects of rearing conditions on anatomical brain development. Human studies have revealed that experiences of maltreatment and neglect during infancy and childhood can have detrimental effects on brain development and cognition. In this study, we evaluated the effects of early rearing experience on brain morphology in 92 captive chimpanzees (ages 11-43) who were either reared by their mothers (n = 46) or in a nursery (n = 46) with age-group peers. Magnetic resonance brain images were analyzed with a processing program (BrainVISA) that extracts cortical sulci. We obtained various measurements from 11 sulci located throughout the brain, as well as whole brain gyrification and white and grey matter volumes. We found that mother-reared chimpanzees have greater global white-to-grey matter volume, more cortical folding and thinner grey matter within the cortical folds than nursery-reared animals. The findings reported here are the first to demonstrate that differences in early rearing conditions have significant consequences on brain morphology in chimpanzees and suggests potential differences in the development of white matter expansion and myelination.

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Fongoli, Senegal, consume termites year-round. Understanding the ecological context behind this behavior is especially important in light of the environmental conditions at Fongoli. This mosaic savanna habitat is one of the hottest and driest sites where chimpanzees have been studied. Two genera and four species of termites were found in association with tools used by chimpanzees in a sample of 124 termite mounds that were monitored. The chimpanzees of Fongoli termite fish predominantly in woodland and forest habitat types, and, although woodland accounts for the majority of the chimpanzees' home range, forest habitat types comprise only about 4% of their range. Thus, habitat type has an influence on the Fongoli chimpanzees' termite fishing. Termite consumption to the degree seen at Fongoli may have particular significance for hominid evolution, given the expansion of Pliocene hominids into increasingly open, hot, and dry habitats. Am.

The central sulcus (CS) divides the pre- and postcentral gyri along the dorsal-ventral plane of which all motor and sensory functions are topographically organized. The motor-hand area of the precentral gyrus or KNOB has been described as the anatomical substrate of the hand in humans. Given the importance of the hand in primate evolution, here we examine the evolution of the motor-hand area by comparing the relative size and pattern of cortical folding of the CS surface area from magnetic resonance images in 131 primates, including Old World monkeys, apes and humans. We found that humans and great apes have a well-formed motor-hand area that can be seen in the variation in depth of the CS along the dorsal-ventral plane. We further found that great apes have relatively large CS surface areas compared to Old World monkeys. However, relative to great apes, humans have a small motor-hand area in terms of both adjusted and absolute surface areas.

Whether nonhuman primates show population-level handedness is a topic of much scientific debate. A previous study of handedness for termite fishing reported population-level left handedness in the chimpanzees from Gombe National Park, Tanzania. In the current study, we examined whether similar hand preferences were evident in a savanna-dwelling chimpanzee population with regards to termite fishing. Hand preference data were collected for 27 chimpanzees from February 2007 through July 2008 and November 2011 through January 2012 in southeastern Senegal. Overall, the Fongoli chimpanzees demonstrate a trend toward population-level handedness, though the results did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance likely due to the limited sample size. Fongoli chimpanzees showed the same pattern of left hand preference as reported at Gombe and the two populations did not differ significantly. When the data were combined across all studies, wild chimpanzees showed a population-level left hand preference for termite fishing.

A fundamental characteristic of human language is multimodality. In other words, humans use multiple signaling channels concurrently when communicating with one another. For example, people frequently produce manual gestures while speaking, and the words a person perceives are impacted by visual information. For this study, we hypothesized that similar to the way that humans regularly couple their spoken utterances with gestures and facial expressions, chimpanzees regularly produce vocalizations in conjunction with other communicative signals. To test this hypothesis, data were collected from 101 captive chimpanzees living in mixed-sex social groupings of seven to twelve individuals. A total of 2,869 vocal events were collected. The data indicate that approximately 50% of the vocal events were produced in conjunction with another communicative modality. In addition, approximately 68% were directed to a specific individual, and these directed vocalizations were more likely to include a signal from another communicative modality than were vocalizations that were not directed to a specific individual. These results suggest that, like humans, chimpanzees often pair their vocalizations with signals from other communicative modalities. In addition, chimpanzees appear to use their communicative signals strategically to meet specific socio-communicative ends, providing support for the growing literature that indicates that at least some chimpanzee vocal signaling is intentional.