Previous comparative research on the evolution of cognition has tested what we call the “altricial intelligence hypothesis”. This posits that a relationship between evolutionary changes in the altricial period length and cognition exists across animal species. However, the evidence available thus far either comes from indirect measurements of cognition or has not been conclusive. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of published data from various sources on 31 homeothermic species to test for an evolutionary association between the degree of altriciality and a direct measure of self-control. For each species, the degree of altriciality was determined based on the residual altricial period (i.e., the time from birth to fledging in birds and to weaning in mammals) on lifespan. The percentage of success in the cylinder task was the measure of self-control. Our results showed that the degree of altriciality covaried positively with the measure of self-control. Based on the results of this study, we sustain that evolutionary changes in the length of the altricial period are associated with evolutionary changes in the cognitive system used by homeotherms to perform the cylinder task.
The absence of spindle cells, or von Economo neurons (VENs), in the cortex of rodents, particularly Rattus norvegicus, has been previously reported. In this paper, we show microanatomic and immunohistochemical evidence of the existence of VENs-like cells in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and in the frontoinsular cortex (FI) of R. norvegicus. For this purpose, NADPH-d histochemistry, immunohistochemistry for nNOS, eNOS, NeuN, GABRQ, dopamine D3R and Nissl staining were performed. The results showed fusiform neurons positive for the aforementioned markers in layers III and V of the ACC and in layers III and V of the FI cortex. Fork neurons were also observed in the same areas. The NADPH-d-positive elements also indicated a close anatomical relationship between some VENs-like cells and blood capillaries. These findings demonstrate the anatomical existence of VENs-like cells in the rat.
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