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Vertex- and atlas-based comparisons in measures of cortical thickness, gyrification and white matter volume between humans and chimpanzees

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Abstract

What changes in cortical organisation characterise global and localised variation between humans and chimpanzees remains a topic of considerable interest in evolutionary neuroscience. Here, we examined regional variation in cortical thickness, gyrification and white matter in samples of human and chimpanzee brains. Both species were MRI scanned on the same platform using identical procedures. The images were processed and segmented by FSL and FreeSurfer and the relative changes in cortical thickness, gyrification and white matter across the entire cortex were compared between species. In general, relative to chimpanzees, humans had significantly greater gyrification and significantly thinner cortex, particularly in the frontal lobe. Human brains also had disproportionately higher white matter volumes in the frontal lobe, particularly in prefrontal regions. Collectively, the findings suggest that after the split from the common ancestor, white matter expansion and subsequently increasing gyrification occurred in the frontal lobe possibly due to increased selection for human cognitive and motor specialisations.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by NIH Grants MH-92923, NS-42867, NS-73134 and HD-60563 to WDH and National Center for Research Resources P51RR165 to YNPRC, which is currently supported by the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs/OD P51OD11132). American Psychological Association and Institute of Medicine guidelines for the treatment of chimpanzees in research were followed during all aspects of this study. NR is at The University of Edinburgh Clinical Research Imaging Centre (CRIC: http://www.cric.ed.ac.uk) which is part of the Scottish Imaging Network, A Platform for Scientific Excellence (SINAPSE) collaboration (http://www.sinapse.ac.uk/) that is funded by the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Executive Chief Scientist Office, and the six collaborator Universities. NR is a member of the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (http://www.ccace.ed.ac.uk) part of the cross council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative, G0700704/84698). The MRI data for human subjects were acquired by Dr. Simon Keller at MARIARC, University of Liverpool. XL is supported by the T. J. Crow Psychosis Trust Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 5030, 30302, Atlanta, Georgia

    William D. Hopkins

  2. Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, 30329, Atlanta, Georgia

    William D. Hopkins

  3. Clinical Research Imaging Centre (CRIC), School of Clinical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH13 0HT, UK

    Xiang Li & Neil Roberts

  4. SANE POWIC, University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK

    Tim Crow

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  1. William D. Hopkins
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Correspondence to William D. Hopkins.

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Hopkins, W.D., Li, X., Crow, T. et al. Vertex- and atlas-based comparisons in measures of cortical thickness, gyrification and white matter volume between humans and chimpanzees. Brain Struct Funct 222, 229–245 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-016-1213-1

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