| Title |
Evidence for expansion of the precuneus in human evolution
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Brain Structure and Function, January 2016
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00429-015-1172-y |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Emiliano Bruner, Todd M. Preuss, Xu Chen, James K. Rilling |
| Abstract |
The evolution of neurocranial morphology in Homo sapiens is characterized by bulging of the parietal region, a feature unique to our species. In modern humans, expansion of the parietal surface occurs during the first year of life, in a morphogenetic stage which is absent in chimpanzees and Neandertals. A similar variation in brain shape among living adult humans is associated with expansion of the precuneus. Using MRI-derived structural brain templates, we compare medial brain morphology between humans and chimpanzees through shape analysis and geometrical modeling. We find that the main spatial difference is a prominent expansion of the precuneus in our species, providing further evidence of evolutionary changes associated with this area. The precuneus is a major hub of brain organization, a central node of the default-mode network, and plays an essential role in visuospatial integration. Together, the comparative neuroanatomical and paleontological evidence suggest that precuneus expansion is a neurological specialization of H. sapiens that evolved in the last 150,000 years that may be associated with recent human cognitive specializations. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 36 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 9 | 25% |
| Spain | 4 | 11% |
| Italy | 2 | 6% |
| China | 2 | 6% |
| Canada | 2 | 6% |
| Chile | 1 | 3% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 3% |
| Germany | 1 | 3% |
| Argentina | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 12 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 25 | 69% |
| Scientists | 8 | 22% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 6% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 107 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
| Germany | 1 | <1% |
| Italy | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 104 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 16 | 15% |
| Student > Master | 16 | 15% |
| Researcher | 15 | 14% |
| Student > Bachelor | 12 | 11% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 6 | 6% |
| Other | 22 | 21% |
| Unknown | 20 | 19% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Neuroscience | 22 | 21% |
| Psychology | 13 | 12% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 11 | 10% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 11 | 10% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 6 | 6% |
| Other | 16 | 15% |
| Unknown | 28 | 26% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 34. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 19 June 2023.
All research outputs
#1,204,699
of 25,758,211 outputs
Outputs from Brain Structure and Function
#61
of 2,044 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#20,337
of 401,163 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Brain Structure and Function
#1
of 37 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,758,211 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 95th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,044 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 6.8. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 97% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 37 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 97% of its contemporaries.