articles

Question 1

elston et al key question

Answer 1

how do human cortical pyramidal cells morphologically differ from those of other ape species

Question 2

elston et al methods

Answer 2

Golgi stain : Cells injected with lucifer yellow to attract primary antibody

Looked at the branching pattern of cells, the dendritic field area and the density of the pyramidal cell

intra-specific comparison (prefrontal, temporal, occipital areas); inter-specific comparison (human, monkey, marmoset)

Question 3

elston et al results

Answer 3

Humans had the most branching, the prefrontal cortex being the most branched

PFC > temporal > occipital

Question 4

hill et al key hypothesis

Answer 4

we infer that the pattern of human evolutionary expansion is similar to the pattern of human postnatal expansion

hypothesize that it is beneficial for regions of recent evolutionary expansion to remain less mature at birth, perhaps to increase the influence of postnatal experience on the development of these regions or to focus prenatal resources on regions most important for early survival.

Question 5

hill et all methods

Answer 5

structural MRI, surface analysis of the cerebral cortex; intra- specific comparison across development (human adults vs newborns); inter-specific comparison (humans vs macaque monkey)

Question 6

hill et all results

Answer 6

variation of region growth (some brain regions mature earlier than others); regions that mature later in development (e.g., lateral temporal, prefrontal) are expanded in humans relative to macaque monkey; importance of association cortices in huma brain evolution.