Dear MARMAMers, on behalf of my colleagues, I am very pleased to share with you the publication of our latest article on the visual cortex of a variety of terrestrial and marine cetartiodactyls (we are supposed to say artiodactyls again now, see Protheros et al., 2021, sorry), compared to two primate species (chimpanzee and pig-tailed macaque) and the horse, in Brain Structure and Function. It should be in open access for now, so feel free to give it a read. Graïc, J.-M., Peruffo, A., Corain, L., Finos, L., Grisan, E., & Cozzi, B. (2021). The primary visual cortex of Cetartiodactyls: organization, cytoarchitectonics and comparison with perissodactyls and primates. *Brain Structure and Function*, *1*, 3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-021-02392-8 Abstract: Cetartiodactyls include terrestrial and marine species, all generally endowed with a comparatively lateral position of their eyes and a relatively limited binocular field of vision. To this day, our understanding of the visual system in mammals beyond the few studied animal models remains limited. In the present study, we examined the primary visual cortex of Cetartiodactyls that live on land (sheep, Père David deer, giraffe); in the sea (bottlenose dolphin, Risso's dolphin, long-finned pilot whale, Cuvier's beaked whale, sperm whale and fin whale); or in an amphibious environment (hippopotamus). We also sampled and studied the visual cortex of the horse (a closely related perissodactyl) and two primates (chimpanzee and pig-tailed macaque) for comparison. Our histochemical and immunohistochemical results indicate that the visual cortex of Cetartiodac-tyls is characterized by a peculiar organization, structure, and complexity of the cortical column. We noted a general lesser lamination compared to simians, with diminished density, and an apparent simplification of the intra-and extra-columnar connections. The presence and distribution of calcium-binding proteins indicated a notable absence of parvalbumin in water species and a strong reduction of layer 4, usually enlarged in the striated cortex, seemingly replaced by a more diffuse distribution in neighboring layers. Consequently, thalamo-cortical inputs are apparently directed to the higher layers of the column. Computer analyses and statistical evaluation of the data confirmed the results and indicated a substantial correlation between eye placement and cortical structure, with a markedly segregated pattern in cetaceans compared to other mammals. Furthermore, cetacean species showed several types of cortical lamination which may reflect differences in function, possibly related to depth of foraging and consequent progressive disappearance of light, and increased importance of echolocation. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00429-021-02392-8 <http://links.springernature.com/f/a/gXXOhUpUDpxk1sf0_wBC0w~~/AABE5gA~/RgRjPAjxP0QwaHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcHJpbmdlci5jb20vLS8xL0FYeEswY0ItNTh5YXNfWm14aWV4VwNzcGNCCmFRcdVaYeIvNyJSGGplYW5tYXJpZS5ncmFpY0B1bmlwZC5pdFgEAAAG5w~~> Thank you all, Jean-Marie Graïc, Dr. Vet. Med., Ph.D. Post-doc research fellow *Veterinary Anatomy* Dept. of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science University of Padua - Veterinary Medicine Mail : AGRIPOLIS - BCA prima stecca Viale dell’Università, 16 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy Tel : +39 049 827 2547 E-mail : jeanmarie.graic@unipd.it <jm.graic@gmail.com> *The hypopthalamus - "Here in this well-concealed spot, almost to be covered with a thumbnail, lies the very main spring of primitive existence – vegetative, emotional, reproductive – on which with more or less success, man has come to superimpose a cortex of inhibitions.” Cushing (1932)* Le lun. 4 oct. 2021 à 12:37, Jean-marie Graic <jeanmarie.graic@unipd.it> a écrit :

Dear MARMAMers,

on behalf of my colleagues, I am very pleased to share with you the publication of our latest article on the visual cortex of a variety of terrestrial and marine cetartiodactyls (we are supposed to say artiodactyls again now, see Protheros et al., 2021, sorry), compared to two primate species (chimpanzee and pig-tailed macaque) and the horse, in Brain Structure and Function. It should be in open access for now, so feel free to give it a read.

Graïc, J.-M., Peruffo, A., Corain, L., Finos, L., Grisan, E., & Cozzi, B. (2021). The primary visual cortex of Cetartiodactyls: organization, cytoarchitectonics and comparison with perissodactyls and primates. *Brain Structure and Function*, *1*, 3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-021-02392-8 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00429-021-02392-8 <http://links.springernature.com/f/a/gXXOhUpUDpxk1sf0_wBC0w~~/AABE5gA~/RgRjPAjxP0QwaHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcHJpbmdlci5jb20vLS8xL0FYeEswY0ItNTh5YXNfWm14aWV4VwNzcGNCCmFRcdVaYeIvNyJSGGplYW5tYXJpZS5ncmFpY0B1bmlwZC5pdFgEAAAG5w~~> Thank you all,

Jean-Marie Graïc, Dr. Vet. Med., Ph.D. Post-doc research fellow *Veterinary Anatomy* Dept. of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science University of Padua - Veterinary Medicine Mail : AGRIPOLIS - BCA prima stecca Viale dell’Università, 16 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy Tel : +39 049 827 2547 E-mail : jeanmarie.graic@unipd.it <jm.graic@gmail.com>

*The hypopthalamus - "Here in this well-concealed spot, almost to be covered with a thumbnail, lies the very main spring of primitive existence – vegetative, emotional, reproductive – on which with more or less success, man has come to superimpose a cortex of inhibitions.” Cushing (1932)*