Morphological evolution of language-relevant brain areas.
Human language is supported by a cortical network involving Broca's area, which comprises Brodmann Areas 44 and 45 (BA44 and BA45). While cytoarchitectonic homolog areas have been identified in nonhuman primates, it remains unknown how these regions evolved to support human language. Here, we u...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-09-01
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| Series: | PLoS Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002266 |
| _version_ | 1797668329623650304 |
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| author | Guillermo Gallardo Cornelius Eichner Chet C Sherwood William D Hopkins Alfred Anwander Angela D Friederici |
| author_facet | Guillermo Gallardo Cornelius Eichner Chet C Sherwood William D Hopkins Alfred Anwander Angela D Friederici |
| author_sort | Guillermo Gallardo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Human language is supported by a cortical network involving Broca's area, which comprises Brodmann Areas 44 and 45 (BA44 and BA45). While cytoarchitectonic homolog areas have been identified in nonhuman primates, it remains unknown how these regions evolved to support human language. Here, we use histological data and advanced cortical registration methods to precisely compare the morphology of BA44 and BA45 in humans and chimpanzees. We found a general expansion of Broca's areas in humans, with the left BA44 enlarging the most, growing anteriorly into a region known to process syntax. Together with recent functional and receptorarchitectural studies, our findings support the conclusion that BA44 evolved from an action-related region to a bipartite system, with a posterior portion supporting action and an anterior portion supporting syntactic processes. Our findings add novel insights to the longstanding debate on the relationship between language and action, and the evolution of Broca's area. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:27:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c331fa6dd39240d08db8571dbc0bf077 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1544-9173 1545-7885 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:27:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-c331fa6dd39240d08db8571dbc0bf0772023-10-02T12:17:24ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Biology1544-91731545-78852023-09-01219e300226610.1371/journal.pbio.3002266Morphological evolution of language-relevant brain areas.Guillermo GallardoCornelius EichnerChet C SherwoodWilliam D HopkinsAlfred AnwanderAngela D FriedericiHuman language is supported by a cortical network involving Broca's area, which comprises Brodmann Areas 44 and 45 (BA44 and BA45). While cytoarchitectonic homolog areas have been identified in nonhuman primates, it remains unknown how these regions evolved to support human language. Here, we use histological data and advanced cortical registration methods to precisely compare the morphology of BA44 and BA45 in humans and chimpanzees. We found a general expansion of Broca's areas in humans, with the left BA44 enlarging the most, growing anteriorly into a region known to process syntax. Together with recent functional and receptorarchitectural studies, our findings support the conclusion that BA44 evolved from an action-related region to a bipartite system, with a posterior portion supporting action and an anterior portion supporting syntactic processes. Our findings add novel insights to the longstanding debate on the relationship between language and action, and the evolution of Broca's area.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002266 |
| spellingShingle | Guillermo Gallardo Cornelius Eichner Chet C Sherwood William D Hopkins Alfred Anwander Angela D Friederici Morphological evolution of language-relevant brain areas. PLoS Biology |
| title | Morphological evolution of language-relevant brain areas. |
| title_full | Morphological evolution of language-relevant brain areas. |
| title_fullStr | Morphological evolution of language-relevant brain areas. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphological evolution of language-relevant brain areas. |
| title_short | Morphological evolution of language-relevant brain areas. |
| title_sort | morphological evolution of language relevant brain areas |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002266 |
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