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The laminar organization of the motor cortex in monodactylous mammals: a comparative assessment based on horse, chimpanzee, and macaque

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An Erratum to this article was published on 18 April 2017

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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.

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  • 18 April 2017

    An erratum to this article has been published.

Notes

  1. “Member States should, where appropriate, facilitate the establishment of programmes for sharing the organs and tissue of animals that are killed.”

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Acknowledgements

The present study has been sponsored by Grants from the University of Padova to BC, AP, LC. The authors would like to thank Dr. Sandro Mazzariol for performing the post-mortem on the chimpanzees and horses, and Dr. Giuseppe Palmisano and Dr. Michele Povinelli for their help in sampling the tissues, all from the Dept. of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science of the University of Padova. The Authors also wish to thank Maria Rosa Pittarello from the “Pietro Arduino” Library of the University of Padova at Legnaro (PD) for her precious help in tracing old literature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, PD, Italy

    Bruno Cozzi, A. Peruffo, S. Montelli & M. Panin

  2. Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo A. Gemelli 1, 20123, Milan, MI, Italy

    Alberto De Giorgio & Alberto Granato

  3. Faculty of Psychology, eCampus University, Novedrate, CO, Italy

    Alberto De Giorgio

  4. Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Ozzano dell’Emilia, BO, Italy

    C. Bombardi & A. Grandis

  5. Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, PI, Italy

    A. Pirone

  6. Pathology Division, General Hospital of Dolo-Venezia, Dolo, VE, Italy

    P. Zambenedetti

  7. Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Vicenza, VI, Italy

    L. Corain

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  1. Bruno Cozzi
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  2. Alberto De Giorgio
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  3. A. Peruffo
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  4. S. Montelli
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Correspondence to Bruno Cozzi or Alberto Granato.

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An erratum to this article is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-017-1397-z.

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Cozzi, B., De Giorgio, A., Peruffo, A. et al. The laminar organization of the motor cortex in monodactylous mammals: a comparative assessment based on horse, chimpanzee, and macaque. Brain Struct Funct 222, 2743–2757 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-017-1369-3

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