AUTHOR=Bruner Emiliano, De la Cuétara José Manuel, Masters Michael, Amano Hideki,

Ogihara Naomichi

TITLE=Functional craniology and brain evolution: from paleontology to biomedicine

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroanatomy

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2014

PAGES=19

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnana.2014.00019

DOI=10.3389/fnana.2014.00019

ISSN=1662-5129

ABSTRACT=Anatomical systems are organized through a network of structural and

functional relationships among their elements. This network of relationships is the
result of evolution, it represents the actual target of selection, and it generates
the set of rules orienting and constraining the morphogenetic processes.
Understanding the relationship among cranial and cerebral components is necessary
to investigate the factors that have influenced and characterized our neuroanatomy,
and possible drawbacks associated with the evolution of large brains. The study of
the spatial relationships between skull and brain in the human genus has direct
relevance in cranial surgery. Geometrical modelling can provide functional
perspectives in evolution and brain physiology, like in simulations to investigate
metabolic heat production and dissipation in the endocranial form. Analysis of the
evolutionary constraints between facial and neural blocks can provide new
information on visual impairment. The study of brain form variation in fossil
humans can supply a different perspective for interpreting the processes behind
neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease. Following these examples, it is apparent
that paleontology and biomedicine can exchange relevant information and contribute
at the same time to the development of robust evolutionary hypotheses on brain
evolution, while offering more comprehensive biological perspectives with regard to
the interpretation of pathological processes.