Anatomical networks reveal the musculoskeletal modularity of the human head.

ABSTRACT: Mosaic evolution is a key mechanism that promotes robustness and evolvability in living beings. For the human head, to have a modular organization would imply that each phenotypic module could grow and function semi-independently. Delimiting the boundaries of head modules, and even assessing their existence, is essential to understand human evolution. Here we provide the first study of the human head using anatomical network analysis (AnNA), offering the most complete overview of the modularity of the head to date. Our analysis integrates the many biological dependences that tie hard and soft tissues together, arising as a consequence of development, growth, stresses and loads, and motion. We created an anatomical network model of the human head, where nodes represent anatomical units and

SUBMITTER: Esteve-Altava B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5389032 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature