Dendritic morphology of pyramidal neurons in the chimpanzee neocortex: Regional specializations and comparison to humans

Serena Bianchi; Cheryl D. Stimpson; Amy L. Bauernfeind; Steven J. Schapiro; Wallace B. Baze; Mark J. McArthur; Ellen Bronson; William D. Hopkins; Katerina Semendeferi; Bob Jacobs; Patrick R. Hof; Chet C. Sherwood

doi:10.1093/cercor/bhs239

Dendritic morphology of pyramidal neurons in the chimpanzee neocortex: Regional specializations and comparison to humans

Serena Bianchi, Cheryl D. Stimpson, Amy L. Bauernfeind, Steven J. Schapiro, Wallace B. Baze, Mark J. McArthur, Ellen Bronson, William D. Hopkins, Katerina Semendeferi, Bob Jacobs, Patrick R. Hof, Chet C. Sherwood

Veterinary Medicine & Surgery

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

104 Scopus citations

Abstract

The primate cerebral cortex is characterized by regional variation in the structure of pyramidal neurons, with more complex dendritic arbors and greater spine density observed in prefrontal compared with sensory and motor cortices. Although there are several investigations in humans and other primates, virtually nothing is known about regional variation in the morphology of pyramidal neurons in the cerebral cortex of great apes, humans' closest living relatives. The current study uses the rapid Golgi stain to quantify the dendritic structure of layer III pyramidal neurons in 4 areas of the chimpanzee cerebral cortex: Primary somatosensory (area 3b), primary motor (area 4), prestriate visual (area 18), and prefrontal (area 10) cortex. Consistent with previous studies in humans and macaque monkeys, pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex of chimpanzees exhibit greater dendritic complexity than those in other cortical regions, suggesting that prefrontal cortical evolution in primates is characterized by increased potential for integrative connectivity. Compared with chimpanzees, the pyramidal neurons of humans had significantly longer and more branched dendritic arbors in all cortical regions.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	2429-2436
Number of pages	8
Journal	Cerebral Cortex
Volume	23
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhs239
State	Published - Oct 2013

Keywords

Area 10
Dendrites
Evolution
Golgi
Primate cerebral cortex

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cognitive Neuroscience
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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10.1093/cercor/bhs239

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Bianchi, S., Stimpson, C. D., Bauernfeind, A. L., Schapiro, S. J., Baze, W. B., McArthur, M. J., Bronson, E., Hopkins, W. D., Semendeferi, K., Jacobs, B., Hof, P. R., & Sherwood, C. C. (2013). Dendritic morphology of pyramidal neurons in the chimpanzee neocortex: Regional specializations and comparison to humans. Cerebral Cortex, 23(10), 2429-2436. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhs239

Bianchi, S, Stimpson, CD, Bauernfeind, AL, Schapiro, SJ, Baze, WB, McArthur, MJ, Bronson, E, Hopkins, WD, Semendeferi, K, Jacobs, B, Hof, PR & Sherwood, CC 2013, 'Dendritic morphology of pyramidal neurons in the chimpanzee neocortex: Regional specializations and comparison to humans', Cerebral Cortex, vol. 23, no. 10, pp. 2429-2436. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhs239

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title = "Dendritic morphology of pyramidal neurons in the chimpanzee neocortex: Regional specializations and comparison to humans",

abstract = "The primate cerebral cortex is characterized by regional variation in the structure of pyramidal neurons, with more complex dendritic arbors and greater spine density observed in prefrontal compared with sensory and motor cortices. Although there are several investigations in humans and other primates, virtually nothing is known about regional variation in the morphology of pyramidal neurons in the cerebral cortex of great apes, humans' closest living relatives. The current study uses the rapid Golgi stain to quantify the dendritic structure of layer III pyramidal neurons in 4 areas of the chimpanzee cerebral cortex: Primary somatosensory (area 3b), primary motor (area 4), prestriate visual (area 18), and prefrontal (area 10) cortex. Consistent with previous studies in humans and macaque monkeys, pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex of chimpanzees exhibit greater dendritic complexity than those in other cortical regions, suggesting that prefrontal cortical evolution in primates is characterized by increased potential for integrative connectivity. Compared with chimpanzees, the pyramidal neurons of humans had significantly longer and more branched dendritic arbors in all cortical regions.",

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author = "Serena Bianchi and Stimpson, {Cheryl D.} and Bauernfeind, {Amy L.} and Schapiro, {Steven J.} and Baze, {Wallace B.} and McArthur, {Mark J.} and Ellen Bronson and Hopkins, {William D.} and Katerina Semendeferi and Bob Jacobs and Hof, {Patrick R.} and Sherwood, {Chet C.}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (grants BCS-0515484, BCS-0549117, BCS-0824531, DGE-0801634), the National Institutes of Health (grant number NS042867, and the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, RR000165), the James S. McDonnell Foundation (grants 22002078 and 220020293), and the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, The University of California, San Diego.",

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AU - Jacobs, Bob

AU - Hof, Patrick R.

AU - Sherwood, Chet C.

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Dendritic morphology of pyramidal neurons in the chimpanzee neocortex: Regional specializations and comparison to humans

Abstract

Keywords

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