Dear MARMAM Community,
We are pleased to announce our new publication on bottlenose dolphin white matter anatomy and asymmetry in Brain Structure and Function:
Wright, A.K., Theilmann, R.J., Ridgway, S.H., Scadeng, M. Diffusion tractography reveals pervasive asymmetry of cerebral white matter tracts in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Brain Struct Funct (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-017-1525-9
Abstract: Brain enlargement is associated with concomitant growth of interneuronal
distance, increased conduction time, and reduced neuronal
interconnectivity. Recognition of these functional constraints led to
the hypothesis that large-brained mammals should exhibit greater
structural and functional brain lateralization. As a taxon with the
largest brains in the animal kingdom, Cetacea provides a unique
opportunity to examine asymmetries of brain structure and function. In
the present study, diffusion tensor imaging and tractography were used
to investigate cerebral white matter asymmetry in the bottlenose dolphin
(Tursiops truncatus). Widespread
white matter asymmetries were observed with the preponderance of tracts
exhibiting leftward structural asymmetries. Leftward lateralization may
reflect differential processing and execution of behaviorally variant
sensory and motor functions by the cerebral hemispheres. The arcuate
fasciculus, an association tract linked to human language evolution, was
isolated and exhibited rightward asymmetry suggesting a right
hemisphere bias for conspecific communication unlike that of most
mammals. This study represents the first examination of cetacean white
matter asymmetry and constitutes an important step toward understanding
potential drivers of structural asymmetry and its role in underpinning
functional and behavioral lateralization in cetaceans.
Kind regards,
Alexandra
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Alexandra Wright, PhD
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