Primate brain

There is a special issue of Progress in Brain Research entitled “Evolution of the Primate Brain”, edited by Hofman and Falk. There are papers by Sherwood, De Sousa, Zollikofer, Schoenemann, Kaas, Cherniak, Buxhoeveden, and many others. Topics include hominin brain evolution, encephalization, cranial ontogeny, brain and language, intelligence, neural wiring, histology, prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, insula, lateralization, genetics, and much more. Have a look:

Evolution of the Primate Brain
Progress in Brain Research 195: 2-478 (2012)

Corpus callosum and allometry

Size and shape variations of the human corpus callosum have always been controversial. Limits in samples and techniques have not helped in this sense. This month we have published a paper on midsagittal shape variation of the corpus callosum. Taking into account the results of this analysis, it seems that the shape differences between males and females are largely allometric. That is, they are secondary consequences of size variation, and not sex-related characters. Differences between groups are, however, very small, mostly because of the large personal differences among individuals. This is probably also due to a limited morphological integration within the corpus callosum, which is influenced by different and independent factors along its outline. It remains to be understood when shape variation is due to intrinsic components of the corpus callosum, and when it is due to indirect influences of external structures.

Endocranial ontogeny

Gunz and colleagues have published more details on the endocranial ontogenetic trajectories in modern humans and Neandertals, confirming differences between the two groups directly after birth. They analyzed ten Neandertals specimens, including the reconstruction of the two Neandertal newborns from Le Moustier 2 and Mezmaiskaya.

Hobet 2012

At the end of January (26th-28th) there will be in Liverpool the HOBET meeting, the Interdisciplinary Forum on Human Origins: Behaviour, Environment and Technology. Here the website, the program, and the poster.

Paleoneurology

Almost twenty years ago they told me I can’t work on the human brain because I was a student in Biology, and not in Medicine or Psychology. Therefore I step in from the back-door, with a PhD Thesis in Animal Biology focused in Paleoneurology. Now I direct a laboratory in this field, and I teach this discipline. And I do research on human brain. In this blog I will just keep you informed on some personal progresses. And on some news in human brain evolution.

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