Collection

Brain Evolution

Submission status
Open
Open for submission from
18 November 2021
Submission deadline
Ongoing
Brain structure assessments have enriched the current understanding of neuroanatomical function through dissection and histology, tracing, neuroimaging, and modern molecular methods. Another beneficial tactic is to look at the same questions through the lens of evolution. The startlingly different perspective produced feels almost like approaching the subjects again for the first time. Although essential behavioral and clinical linkages provide parsimonious insight into brain region function, it is just as important to ask when these structures first appeared on Earth and why. What could the organisms possessing these functional groupings of cells and circuits accomplish that others could not? What were the selective pressures at the time that would favor the creatures who had them? It is equally revealing to consider brain structure-function relationships from a decidedly non-human perspective, understanding how adaptations in different species have allowed their morphology to serve discrete survival needs. All these essential questions help formulate a deeper appreciation of brain structure and function than traditional methods provide. The papers included here exemplify the distinct revelations that come from changing focus and examining what TS Eliot called “the last of earth left to discover.” This collection will continue to grow over time, offering ever greater insight into “that which was the beginning.”

Articles (31 in this collection)