Principles of neocortical organisation and behaviour in primates

Abstract

One sentence summaryThe study of brain MRI from 70 different primate species reveals a fundamental principle of neocortical organisation and behaviour driven by mechanical morphogenesis. The development and evolution of neocortical organisation is typically explained by the interaction of two fundamental factors: genetics and experience-dependent processes. Morphogens and signalling molecules would orchestrate the formation of neocortical areas and connection networks, which are later refined through exposure to environmental stimuli. Evolutionary changes to these genetic programs are thought to account for the diversity of brains and behaviours observed in extant species. However, our phylogenetic comparative study of primate neuroanatomy and behaviour shows this view is incomplete. Using brain MRI from 70 primate species we observed that not only the degree of folding but also the folding pattern changes continuously with brain volume, independently of phylogenetic position. To better understand the consequences of this continuity we focused on New and Old World monkeys which diverged approximately 47 million years ago. Large New World monkeys, such as capuchins, have a significantly larger and more folded neocortex than many of their close phylogenetic relatives, whose brains are barely folded. Notably, in addition to folding, their thickness and connectivity patterns were almost identical to those of phylogenetically distant Old World monkeys. Combined analyses of MRI and endocasts from 105 primate species indicated that the highly folded neocortex of large New World monkeys evolved independently from a common ancestor with a small, unfolded brain. Remarkably, across all 70 species, behavioural similarity correlated substantially more with neuroanatomical similarity than with phylogenetic similarity. Our results challenge the prevailing explanation of the development and evolution of neocortical organisation. We propose that the "capuchin anomaly" can be resolved by incorporating mechanical morphogenesis, alongside genetics and experience, as a third fundamental factor. Growth-driven mechanical instabilities would produce similar neuroanatomical organisation patterns and behaviours, emerging independently of the specific genetic determinants of that growth.