Abstract
The development of complex cognitive functions during human evolution coincides with pronounced encephalization and expansion of white matter, the brain’s infrastructure for region-to-region communication. We investigated adaptations of the human macroscale brain network by comparing human brain wiring with that of the chimpanzee, one of our closest living primate relatives. White matter connectivity networks were reconstructed using diffusion-weighted MRI in humans (n = 57) and chimpanzees (n = 20) and then analyzed using network neuroscience tools. We demonstrate higher network centrality of connections linking multimodal association areas in humans compared with chimpanzees, together with a more pronounced modular topology of the human connectome. Furthermore, connections observed in humans but not in chimpanzees particularly link multimodal areas of the temporal, lateral parietal, and inferior frontal cortices, including tracts important for language processing. Network analysis demonstrates a particularly high contribution of these connections to global network integration in the human brain. Taken together, our comparative connectome findings suggest an evolutionary shift in the human brain toward investment of neural resources in multimodal connectivity facilitating neural integration, combined with an increase in language-related connectivity supporting functional specialization.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 7101-7106 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Volume | 116 |
Issue number | 14 |
Early online date | 18 Mar 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Apr 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © 2019 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.Funding
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. M.P.v.d.H. was supported by VIDI Grant 452-16-015 and Aard-en levenswetenschappen (ALW) Grant ALWOP.179 from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research and by a Mental Health and Quality of Life fellowship. L.L., T.M.P., and J.K.R. were supported by National Institutes of Health Grant P01 AG026423, National Center for Research Resources Grant P51RR165 (superseded by the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs/OD P51OD11132), and National Chimpanzee Brain Resource Grant R24NS092988. L.L. was also supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant P50 MH100029.
Funders | Funder number |
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National Chimpanzee Brain Resource | |
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research | |
VIDI | |
National Institutes of Health | P01 AG026423 |
National Institute of Mental Health | P50 MH100029 |
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke | R24NS092988 |
National Center for Research Resources | P51OD11132, P51RR165 |
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | |
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | ALWOP.179 |
National Brain Research Centre | |
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental | |
Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación | 452-16-015 |
Keywords
- Chimpanzee
- Comparative
- Connectome
- Connectomics
- Evolution
- Multimodal