Work

Evolution of the motor cortex microstructure and its lateralization: a comparative study of chimpanzees and humans

Year: 2025

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: Human hand coordination exceeds that of other species, including great apes, and is marked by pronounced right-hand dominance. This specialization parallels an expansion of its cortical representation, forming the hand-knob in the motor cortex. In humans, this region shows high myelination on quantitative MRI (qMRI), but whether this feature is shared with great apes remains unclear. It is also unknown whether increased right-hand dominance in humans is mirrored by greater hemispheric asymmetry in cortical microstructure. Using high-resolution qMRI, we compared motor cortex subdivisions controlling the leg, hand, and face in humans and chimpanzees. We found consistently higher myelin and iron content in the hand-knob in both species, suggesting an evolutionarily conserved role. However, only humans showed enhanced rightward lateralization. These results highlight both conserved and species-specific features of the motor cortex, offering insights into the evolution of manual dexterity and handedness.

Source: Proceedings on CD-ROM - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Scientific Meeting and Exhibition/Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Scientific Meeting and Exhibition

DOI: 10.58530/2025/3648

Authors: M. Chauvel, E. Kirilina, I. Lipp, F. Buettner, C. Jäger, K.J. Pine, L.J. Edwards, S.J. Ebel, K.S. Kopp, S. Helbling, P. McColgan, D. Rose, T. Gräßle, R. McElreath, D. Chaimow, C. Crockford, R.M. Wittig, N. Weiskopf

Institutions: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig University, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience, University College London, Robert Koch Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Swiss Centre for Scientific Research, Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology

Language: English

Topic: Hemispheric Asymmetry in Neuroscience

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche, FP7 Ideas: European Research Council

Awards: G1647499435, G3207356259, G393177772, G4760961572, G5702163051, G5771730111, Ein umfassendes mikrostrukturelles Connectom des menschlichen Gehirns (COMIC): Von langen Nervenfasern zu kurzen Assoziationsfasern, Antibodies against Nogo-A to enhance plasticity, regeneration and functional recovery after acute spinal cord injury, a multicenter European clinical proof of concept trial, Non-Invasive In-Vivo Histology in Health and Disease Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

OpenAlex ID: W4414235603

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