Geometric morphometrics and paleoneurology: brain shape evolution in the genus Homo

Bruner, Emiliano

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.03.009

Cited by 266 publications

(219 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…This pattern is common in Neandertals (Holloway et al, 2004), but also in other hominids (85%), including modern humans (80%; Kimbel, 1984;Beards et al, 1998;Mehta et al, 2000;Grimaud-Hervé, 2004;Bruner, 2003; Table 1). In the inferred pattern, continuity exists between the superior sagittal sinus and the right transverse sinus.…”

Section: Discussion Cranial Dural Venous Sinusesmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…In modern humans, the frequency of such an absence ranges between 5% and 12% (Beards et al, 1998). In that case, it should be expected that the venous drainage, which normally goes to the left transverse sinus from the cerebellum, the brainstem, and occipital and temporal lobes, would be deviated into the left sigmoid sinus, incrementing the superior petrous sinus and/or other additional drainage systems, such as the occipito-marginal system (Dora and Zileli, 1980;Bruner, 2003). However, there are no clear endocranial impressions that would support this hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussion Cranial Dural Venous Sinusesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Endocranial Occipito‐Temporal Anatomy of SD‐1219 from the Neandertal El Sidrón Site (Asturias, Spain)

Rosas

Peña-Melián

García-Tabernero

et al. 2008

The Anatomical Record

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We addressed the brain drainage system as inferred by the endocranial morphology of the occipito-temporal region of the El Sidrón Neandertal specimen SD-1219. Morphological details of the endocranial surface and its anatomical implications were analyzed for the reconstruction of the dural sinus drainage pattern and its comparison with Neandertals and other hominids. The specimen SD-1219 shows a pattern in which the superior sagittal sinus goes into the right transverse sinus. Comparative analyses with a large sample of fossil hominids reveal a pattern of the SD-1219 fossil that is typical for Neandertals. The analysis of the proportions of the occipital lobes prints within the occipital fossae reveals that the left occipital pole projects toward the right. This possibly indicates brain asymmetry (petalia) in this Neandertal individual, similar to that observed in some modern human brains. Conversely, no such asymmetry was observed in the cerebellar fossae. A particular feature of this fossil is the presence of two crests, located at the middle of the left cerebellar fossa that can be related to either an imprinting of a cerebellar fissure or some bone response to mechanical influence on internal bone surface morphology during cerebellar development. Specific aspects of the paleoneurology of Neandertals are discussed. Further quantitative studies on the endocranial morphology of the occipitotemporal and -mastoid region will shed light on the paleoneurological significance of this important anatomical region for the understanding of human evolution.

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Section: Discussion Cranial Dural Venous Sinusesmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussion Cranial Dural Venous Sinusesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endocranial Occipito‐Temporal Anatomy of SD‐1219 from the Neandertal El Sidrón Site (Asturias, Spain)

Rosas

Peña-Melián

García-Tabernero

et al. 2008

The Anatomical Record

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“…It is known that in mammals, particularly in primates, synapses can undergo plastic changes both by dendritic branching and by increasing the number of dendritic spines, allowing higher synaptic volume and strength; these modifications being more notable in the neocortex of larger brains 32,33 . However, there are constraints that limit the anatomic growth of the brain 33 .…”

Section: A Thought About Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there are constraints that limit the anatomic growth of the brain 33 . To overcome them the brain develops plastic modifications not only at the synaptic level, but also by connecting different cortical regions, creating new circuits that will work in a coordinated manner with the aim of obtaining a desired purpose.…”

Section: A Thought About Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are astrocytes executive cells within the central nervous system?

Sica

Caccuri

Quarracino

et al. 2016

Arq. Neuro-Psiquiatr.

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Experimental evidence suggests that astrocytes play a crucial role in the physiology of the central nervous system (CNS) by modulating synaptic activity and plasticity. Based on what is currently known we postulate that astrocytes are fundamental, along with neurons, for the information processing that takes place within the CNS. On the other hand, experimental findings and human observations signal that some of the primary degenerative diseases of the CNS, like frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s dementia, Huntington’s dementia, primary cerebellar ataxias and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, all of which affect the human species exclusively, may be due to astroglial dysfunction. This hypothesis is supported by observations that demonstrated that the killing of neurons by non-neural cells plays a major role in the pathogenesis of those diseases, at both their onset and their progression. Furthermore, recent findings suggest that astrocytes might be involved in the pathogenesis of some psychiatric disorders as well.

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“…⊲ Paleoneurology is based on the idea that it is possible to study the brain indirectly by analysing fossil remains [5]. Typically, these studies rest on the observation of fossil endocranial casts (or endocasts), that are natural molds of the inner skull.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An algorithm to map asymmetries of bilateral objects in point clouds

Combès

Hennessy

Waddington

et al. 2008

2008 5th IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro

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We present a method to automatically quantify the local asymmetries of bilateral structures in point clouds. The method relies on the robust computation of the approximate symmetry plane of the object under study. This plane is defined as the minimiser of a criterion, based on a M-estimator and devised to reduce the influence of asymmetrical features of the object. An algorithm is then proposed to minimise this criterion. Once the algorithm has converged, the residual distances between the points and their symmetrical counterparts quantify the local asymmetries, yielding a 3D asymmetry map. We show the algorithm to be accurate, with a high capture range, on an ideal, perfectly symmetrical dataset. We investigate its robustness and accuracy properties on highly corrupted datasets. We also evaluate the accuracy of the obtained 3D maps using ground truth datasets where the asymmetries are known. Finally, we propose several original applications of this method on real data.

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Geometric morphometrics and paleoneurology: brain shape evolution in the genus Homo

Cited by 266 publications

References 56 publications

Endocranial Occipito‐Temporal Anatomy of SD‐1219 from the Neandertal El Sidrón Site (Asturias, Spain)

Endocranial Occipito‐Temporal Anatomy of SD‐1219 from the Neandertal El Sidrón Site (Asturias, Spain)

Are astrocytes executive cells within the central nervous system?

An algorithm to map asymmetries of bilateral objects in point clouds

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