The Role of Endocasts in the Study of Brain Evolution

Endocasts are windows into deep history and as such provide modern neuroscience a more complete appreciation of: (1) the brain's evolutionary potential (by allowing sampling of extinct lineages) and (2) the origins of modern neurological disparity. Imaging technology has increased the number of endocasts and thus their integrative potential for informing broad patterns of brain evolution. Our goal is to facilitate this integration by explicating the inferential framework in which endocasts are studied, their anatomical identity, and the hypotheses they can and cannot address. Examples of endocasts' explanatory power and limitations are drawn largely from birds and their extinct relatives.

• Publication year

  2020

• Venue

  Evolutionary Neuroscience

• Publication date

  Unknown publication date

• Fields of study

  Biology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/B978-0-12-804042-3.00023-3
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• Examples from birds and their extinct relatives are used to illustrate both the explanatory power and the limitations of endocasts.

  Confidence 0.88

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• Imaging technology has expanded the number of available endocasts, increasing their value for integrating broad patterns of brain evolution.

  Confidence 0.90

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• Endocast studies are most useful when interpreted through an explicit inferential framework that clarifies what they can and cannot address.

  Confidence 0.93

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• Endocasts can extend brain-evolution research by sampling extinct lineages that are unavailable to modern neuroscience.

  Confidence 0.95

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review

• birds

  animal lineages

  The avian lineage used as a major comparative example in the discussion of endocast interpretation.

  Aliases: Aves

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• brain evolution

  evolutionary process

  The evolutionary change and diversification of brain form and organization across lineages.

  Aliases: evolution of the brain

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• endocasts

  anatomical reconstructions

  Three-dimensional reconstructions of the internal shape of a cranial cavity that are used as proxies for brain-related anatomy.

  Aliases: cranial endocasts

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• extinct lineages

  lineages

  Evolutionary branches known only from fossil evidence and unavailable for direct biological observation.

  Aliases: fossil lineages

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• extinct relatives

  comparative taxa

  Fossil taxa closely related to birds that provide comparative endocast evidence from the past.

  Aliases: fossil relatives

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• hypotheses

  questions

  Specific scientific questions or proposed explanations that endocasts may or may not be able to test.

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• imaging technology

  technologies

  Modern scanning and visualization methods that generate or improve access to endocast data.

  Aliases: imaging methods, scan-based imaging

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review
• inferential framework

  frameworks

  The set of assumptions and reasoning rules used to infer biological meaning from endocast data.

  Aliases: framework of inference

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extraction뀨 (7c402c1b98) reviewmexicorea (qjvnbu8xg3) reviewAK (4715169a40) review

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