TY  - JOUR
AU  - de Sousa, A.A.
AU  - Sherwood, C.C.
AU  - Mohlberg, H.
AU  - Amunts, K.
AU  - Schleicher, A.
AU  - MacLeod, C.E.
AU  - Hof, P.R.
AU  - Frahm, H.
AU  - Zilles, K.
TI  - Hominoid visual brain structure volumes and the position of the lunate sulcus
JO  - Journal of human evolution
VL  - 58
SN  - 0047-2484
CY  - Amsterdam [u.a.]
PB  - Elsevier
M1  - PreJuSER-9384
SP  - 281 - 292
PY  - 2010
N1  - We are grateful to Drs. Bernard Wood, Ralph Holloway, Peter Lucas, and Brian Richmond for comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. Dr. Katerina Semendeferi was instrumental in establishing the Zilles ape brain collection used in this study. Dr. Joseph Erwin facilitated access to great ape brain specimens. The Yerkes Primate Center also provided brains. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (BCS-9987590, BCS-0453005, BCS-0515484, BCS-0549117, BCS-0827531, DGE-0801634), the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BPD/43518/2008), the National Institutes of Health (NS42867), the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, and the James S. McDonnell Foundation (22002078).
AB  - It has been argued that changes in the relative sizes of visual system structures predated an increase in brain size and provide evidence of brain reorganization in hominins. However, data about the volume and anatomical limits of visual brain structures in the extant taxa phylogenetically closest to humans-the apes-remain scarce, thus complicating tests of hypotheses about evolutionary changes. Here, we analyze new volumetric data for the primary visual cortex and the lateral geniculate nucleus to determine whether or not the human brain departs from allometrically-expected patterns of brain organization. Primary visual cortex volumes were compared to lunate sulcus position in apes to investigate whether or not inferences about brain reorganization made from fossil hominin endocasts are reliable in this context. In contrast to previous studies, in which all species were relatively poorly sampled, the current study attempted to evaluate the degree of intraspecific variability by including numerous hominoid individuals (particularly Pan troglodytes and Homo sapiens). In addition, we present and compare volumetric data from three new hominoid species-Pan paniscus, Pongo pygmaeus, and Symphalangus syndactylus. These new data demonstrate that hominoid visual brain structure volumes vary more than previously appreciated. In addition, humans have relatively reduced primary visual cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus volumes as compared to allometric predictions from other hominoids. These results suggest that inferences about the position of the lunate sulcus on fossil endocasts may provide information about brain organization.
KW  - Animals
KW  - Biological Evolution
KW  - Fossils
KW  - Geniculate Bodies: anatomy & histology
KW  - Hominidae: anatomy & histology
KW  - Humans
KW  - Hylobates: anatomy & histology
KW  - Macaca fascicularis: anatomy & histology
KW  - Magnetic Resonance Imaging
KW  - Organ Size
KW  - Pan paniscus: anatomy & histology
KW  - Pan troglodytes: anatomy & histology
KW  - Pongo pygmaeus: anatomy & histology
KW  - Visual Cortex: anatomy & histology
KW  - J (WoSType)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:20172590
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000277760600001
DO  - DOI:10.1016/j.jhevol.2009.11.011
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/9384
ER  -