Journal article
Spatial Organization of Neurons in the Frontal Pole Sets Humans Apart from Great Apes
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991), Vol.21(7), pp.1485-1497
2011
DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhq191
PMID: 21098620
Abstract
Few morphological differences have been identified so far that distinguish the human brain from the brains of our closest relatives, the apes. Comparative analyses of the spatial organization of cortical neurons, including minicolumns, can aid our understanding of the functionally relevant aspects of microcircuitry. We measured horizontal spacing distance and gray-level ratio in layer III of 4 regions of human and ape cortex in all 6 living hominoid species: frontal pole (Brodmann area [BA] 10), and primary motor (BA 4), primary somatosensory (BA 3), and primary visual cortex (BA 17). Our results identified significant differences between humans and apes in the frontal pole (BA 10). Within the human brain, there were also significant differences between the frontal pole and 2 of the 3 regions studied (BA 3 and BA 17). Differences between BA 10 and BA 4 were present but did not reach significance. These findings in combination with earlier findings on BA 44 and BA 45 suggest that human brain evolution was likely characterized by an increase in the number and width of minicolumns and the space available for interconnectivity between neurons in the frontal lobe, especially the prefrontal cortex.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Spatial Organization of Neurons in the Frontal Pole Sets Humans Apart from Great Apes
- Creators
- Katerina Semendeferi - 1Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USAKate Teffer - 1Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USADan P Buxhoeveden - 3Department of Anthropology and Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29201, USAMin S Park - 1Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USASebastian Bludau - 5Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Center Juelich and JARA-Brain, D-52425 Aachen, GermanyKatrin Amunts - 5Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Center Juelich and JARA-Brain, D-52425 Aachen, GermanyKatie Travis - 1Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USAJoseph Buckwalter - 1Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991), Vol.21(7), pp.1485-1497
- DOI
- 10.1093/cercor/bhq191
- PMID
- 21098620
- NLM abbreviation
- Cereb Cortex
- ISSN
- 1047-3211
- eISSN
- 1460-2199
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2011
- Academic Unit
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Orthopedics and Rehabilitation; Injury Prevention Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9984001215402771
Metrics
33 Record Views