Dendritic Morphology of Pyramidal Neurons in the Chimpanzee Neocortex: Regional Specializations and Comparison to Humans

Overview

Journal Cereb Cortex

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Neurology

Date 2012 Aug 10

PMID 22875862

Citations 68

Authors

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

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

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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