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Sulcal morphology of ventral temporal cortex is shared between humans and other hominoids.

ABSTRACT: Hominoid-specific brain structures are of particular importance in understanding the evolution of human brain structure and function, as they are absent in mammals that are widely studied in the extended neuroscience field. Recent research indicates that the human fusiform gyrus (FG), which is a hominoid-specific structure critical for complex object recognition, contains a tertiary, longitudinal sulcus (mid-fusiform sulcus, MFS) that bisects the FG into lateral and medial parallel gyri. The MFS is a functional and architectonic landmark in the human brain. Here, we tested if the MFS is specific to the human FG or if the MFS is also identifiable in other hominoids. Using magnetic resonance imaging and cortical surface reconstructions in 30 chimpanzees and 30 humans, we show that the MFS is also present in chimpanzees. The MFS is relatively deeper and cortically thinner in chimpanzees compared to humans. Additional histological analyses reveal that the MFS is not only present in humans and chimpanzees, but also in bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons. Taken together, these results reveal that the MFS is a sulcal landmark that is shared between humans and other hominoids. These results require a reconsideration of the sulcal patterning in ventral temporal cortex across hominoids, as well as revise the compensation theory of cortical folding.

SUBMITTER: Miller JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7555511 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sulcal morphology of ventral temporal cortex is shared between humans and other hominoids.

Miller Jacob A JA Voorhies Willa I WI Li Xiang X Raghuram Ishana I Palomero-Gallagher Nicola N Zilles Karl K Sherwood Chet C CC Hopkins William D WD Weiner Kevin S KS

Scientific reports 20201013 1

Hominoid-specific brain structures are of particular importance in understanding the evolution of human brain structure and function, as they are absent in mammals that are widely studied in the extended neuroscience field. Recent research indicates that the human fusiform gyrus (FG), which is a hominoid-specific structure critical for complex object recognition, contains a tertiary, longitudinal sulcus (mid-fusiform sulcus, MFS) that bisects the FG into lateral and medial parallel gyri. The MFS ...[more]

PMID: 33051475

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Project description:The present study quantitatively assessed sexual dimorphism of cortical convolution and sulcal morphology in young adult ferrets by MRI-based sulcal surface morphometry. Ex vivo T1-weighted (short TR/TE) MRI of the ferret cerebrum was acquired with high spatial resolution at 7-tesla. The degree of cortical convolution, evaluated quantitatively based on 3D MRI data by sulcation index (SI), was significantly greater in males (0.553 ± 0.036) than in females (0.502 ± 0.043) (p < 0.001). The rostrocaudal distribution of the cortical convolution revealed a greater convolution in the frontal region of the cortex in males than in females and by a posterior extension of the convolution in the temporo-parieto-occipital region of males. Although the cerebral width in the frontal region was not different between sexes, the rhinal fissure and rostral region of splenial sulcus were more infolded in males than in females. On the contrary, the cerebral width was greater in males in the temporo-parieto-occipital region, and male-prominent posterior extension of infolding was noted in the lateral sulcus, caudal suprasylvian sulcus, pesudosylvian sulcus, hippocampal sulcus, and the caudal region of splenial sulcus. Notably, the caudal descending region of lateral sulcus was clearly infolded in males, but obscured in females. The present results suggest a region-related sexual dimorphism of the sulcal infolding, which is reflected by local cortical expansion in the ferret cerebrum. In particular, male-favored sulcal infolding with expansion of the temporo-parieto-occipital neocortex may be relevant to the human cerebral cortex regarding visuo-spatial and emotion processing, which are known to differ between sexes. The present results will provide fundamental information assessing sex-related changes in the regional sulcal infolding, when ferrets with experimentally-induced gyrification abnormality will be used as models for male-prevalent or male-earlier-onset neurodevelopmental disorders.

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Sulcal morphology of ventral temporal cortex is shared between humans and other hominoids.

Publications

Sulcal morphology of ventral temporal cortex is shared between humans and other hominoids.

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