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The laminar organization of the motor cortex in monodactylous mammals: a comparative assessment based on horse, chimpanzee, and macaque.
Abstract: The architecture of the neocortex classically consists of six layers, based on cytological criteria and on the layout of intra/interlaminar connections. Yet, the comparison of cortical cytoarchitectonic features across different species proves overwhelmingly difficult, due to the lack of a reliable model to analyze the connection patterns of neuronal ensembles forming the different layers. We first defined a set of suitable morphometric cell features, obtained in digitized Nissl-stained sections of the motor cortex of the horse, chimpanzee, and crab-eating macaque. We then modeled them using a quite general non-parametric data representation model, showing that the assessment of neuronal cell complexity (i.e., how a given cell differs from its neighbors) can be performed using a suitable measure of statistical dispersion such as the mean absolute deviation-mean absolute deviation (MAD). Along with the non-parametric combination and permutation methodology, application of MAD allowed not only to estimate, but also to compare and rank the motor cortical complexity across different species. As to the instances presented in this paper, we show that the pyramidal layers of the motor cortex of the horse are far more irregular than those of primates. This feature could be related to the different organizations of the motor system in monodactylous mammals.
Publication Date: 2017-02-16 PubMed ID: 28210850DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1369-3Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research paper explores the structural differences and complexity in the motor cortex, a part of the brain responsible for muscle movement, in different mammalian species – horses, chimpanzees, and macaques.
Research Methodology
- The researchers commenced by defining a set of appropriate morphometric cell features. Morphometric features are the measurements and dimensions of the cells, and these were obtained from the digitally re-formed and colored (Nissl-stained) sections of the motor cortex of horses, chimpanzees, and crab-eating macaques.
- A non-parametric data representation model was utilized for this data, which does not make any assumptions about the population distribution of these features. This approach was chosen due to its higher flexibility.
Analyzing Neuronal Cell Complexity
- The researchers measured neuronal cell complexity, essentially how much a specific cell varies from its neighboring cells using the Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) method, a measure of statistical dispersion.
- Together with non-parametric combination and permutation methodology, MAD helped to not only estimate but also compare and rank the complexity of the motor cortex across the different tested species.
Research Results
- The results from this methodology provided insight into the organizational differences of the motor cortex among different species. It was found that the pyramidal layers, a section of the motor cortex, in horses were noticeably more irregular than those in primates.
- The researchers suggest that these detected differences could be a reflection of the various motor system organizations in monodactylous mammals (those with a single digit on each limb, in this case, horses).
This research provides valuable insights into the structural differences and complexity between different mammalian species’ neural systems. It offers an innovative approach to comparative brain anatomy and has the potential to further enhance our understanding of the evolutionary differences in the neuronal mechanics among different species.
Cite This Article
APA
Cozzi B, De Giorgio A, Peruffo A, Montelli S, Panin M, Bombardi C, Grandis A, Pirone A, Zambenedetti P, Corain L, Granato A.
(2017).
The laminar organization of the motor cortex in monodactylous mammals: a comparative assessment based on horse, chimpanzee, and macaque.
Brain Struct Funct, 222(6), 2743-2757.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-017-1369-3 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, PD, Italy. bruno.cozzi@unipd.it.
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo A. Gemelli 1, 20123, Milan, MI, Italy.
- Faculty of Psychology, eCampus University, Novedrate, CO, Italy.
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, PD, Italy.
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, PD, Italy.
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, PD, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Ozzano dell'Emilia, BO, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Ozzano dell'Emilia, BO, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, PI, Italy.
- Pathology Division, General Hospital of Dolo-Venezia, Dolo, VE, Italy.
- Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Vicenza, VI, Italy.
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo A. Gemelli 1, 20123, Milan, MI, Italy. alberto.granato@unicatt.it.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Calcium-Binding Proteins / analysis
- Cell Shape
- Cell Size
- Female
- Horses / anatomy & histology
- Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
- Immunohistochemistry
- Macaca fascicularis / anatomy & histology
- Male
- Models, Statistical
- Motor Cortex / chemistry
- Motor Cortex / cytology
- Nerve Tissue Proteins / analysis
- Neurons / chemistry
- Neurons / cytology
- Pan troglodytes / anatomy & histology
- Phenotype
- Single-Cell Analysis
- Species Specificity
- Staining and Labeling
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Gerussi T, Graïc JM, Grandis A, Peruffo A, Cozzi B. The orbitofrontal cortex of the sheep. Topography, organization, neurochemistry, digital tensor imaging and comparison with the chimpanzee and human. Brain Struct Funct 2022 Jun;227(5):1871-1891.
- Graïc JM, Peruffo A, Corain L, Finos L, Grisan E, Cozzi B. The primary visual cortex of Cetartiodactyls: organization, cytoarchitectonics and comparison with perissodactyls and primates. Brain Struct Funct 2022 May;227(4):1195-1225.
- Desantis S, Minervini S, Zallocco L, Cozzi B, Pirone A. Age-Related Changes in the Primary Motor Cortex of Newborn to Adult Domestic Pig Sus scrofa domesticus. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jul 6;11(7).
- Cozzi B, Bonfanti L, Canali E, Minero M. Brain Waste: The Neglect of Animal Brains. Front Neuroanat 2020;14:573934.
- Corain L, Grisan E, Graïc JM, Carvajal-Schiaffino R, Cozzi B, Peruffo A. Multi-aspect testing and ranking inference to quantify dimorphism in the cytoarchitecture of cerebellum of male, female and intersex individuals: a model applied to bovine brains. Brain Struct Funct 2020 Dec;225(9):2669-2688.
- Chincarini M, Dalla Costa E, Qiu L, Spinelli L, Cannas S, Palestrini C, Canali E, Minero M, Cozzi B, Ferri N, Ancora D, De Pasquale F, Vignola G, Torricelli A. Reliability of fNIRS for noninvasive monitoring of brain function and emotion in sheep. Sci Rep 2020 Sep 7;10(1):14726.
- Pirone A, Graïc JM, Grisan E, Cozzi B. The claustrum of the sheep and its connections to the visual cortex. J Anat 2021 Jan;238(1):1-12.
- La Rosa C, Cavallo F, Pecora A, Chincarini M, Ala U, Faulkes CG, Nacher J, Cozzi B, Sherwood CC, Amrein I, Bonfanti L. Phylogenetic variation in cortical layer II immature neuron reservoir of mammals. Elife 2020 Jul 21;9.
- Pirone A, Miragliotta V, Ciregia F, Giannessi E, Cozzi B. The catecholaminergic innervation of the claustrum of the pig. J Anat 2018 Jan;232(1):158-166.
- Melchionna M, Castiglione S, Girardi G, Profico A, Mondanaro A, Sansalone G, Chatar N, Pérez Ramos A, Fernández-Monescillo M, Serio C, Pandolfi L, Dembitzer J, Di Febbraro M, Caliendo MM, Di Costanzo A, Morvillo L, Esposito A, Raia P. Cortical areas associated to higher cognition drove primate brain evolution. Commun Biol 2025 Jan 18;8(1):80.
- Padulo J, De Giorgio A, Oliva F, Frizziero A, Maffulli N. I performed experiments and I have results. Wow, and now?. Muscles Ligaments Tendons J 2017 Jul-Sep;7(3):403-410.
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