Summary
In the absence of brain tissues preserved in the fossil record, vertebrate endocasts provide the only ‘direct’ evidence of brain evolution through deep time, and the possibility to infer cognitive and sensory abilities of extinct taxa. However, the validity of paleoneurological studies critically depends on the reliability of endocasts as a proxy for brain morphology. The variable brain-endocast correspondences found between and within modern vertebrate lineages prevent any generalizations to date. A detailed understanding of brain-endocast relationships in extant vertebrates is thus extremely important in order to avoid erroneous interpretations based on endocast morphology alone. NeuroSquam aims to study the brain-endocast relationships in the clade of Squamata, including lizards and snakes. Despite previous studies reporting a wide range of brain versus endocranial cavity proportions in lizards, our understanding of squamate brain-endocast relationships remains limited. By combining 3D imaging and 3D geometric morphometrics on a wide range of species, this research will provide a detailed and updated assessment of the brain-endocast relationships in Squamata. I will explore how these relationships vary between and within species in order to understand the different eco-biological factors that may impact the correspondence between brain and endocast. In addition, the comparison of morphometric data obtained from different 3D imaging techniques will provide new insights into the impact of fixation and staining on tissue shrinkage. By identifying reliable tissue-specific correction factors to adjust for shrinkage, this project will provide a starting point for future neuroanatomical studies seeking to use data from different imaging protocols. NeuroSquam’s originality and interdisciplinary nature will generate exceptional datasets and high-profile outputs and establish the applicant as an innovative leader in functional and comparative (paleo) neuroanatomy.
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More information & hyperlinks
| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101106680 |
| Start date: | 01-09-2024 |
| End date: | 31-08-2026 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | - 211 754,00 Euro |
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Original description
In the absence of brain tissues preserved in the fossil record, vertebrate endocasts provide the only ‘direct’ evidence of brain evolution through deep time, and the possibility to infer cognitive and sensory abilities of extinct taxa. However, the validity of paleoneurological studies critically depends on the reliability of endocasts as a proxy for brain morphology. The variable brain-endocast correspondences found between and within modern vertebrate lineages prevent any generalizations to date. A detailed understanding of brain-endocast relationships in extant vertebrates is thus extremely important in order to avoid erroneous interpretations based on endocast morphology alone. NeuroSquam aims to study the brain-endocast relationships in the clade of Squamata, including lizards and snakes. Despite previous studies reporting a wide range of brain versus endocranial cavity proportions in lizards, our understanding of squamate brain-endocast relationships remains limited. By combining 3D imaging and 3D geometric morphometrics on a wide range of species, this research will provide a detailed and updated assessment of the brain-endocast relationships in Squamata. I will explore how these relationships vary between and within species in order to understand the different eco-biological factors that may impact the correspondence between brain and endocast. In addition, the comparison of morphometric data obtained from different 3D imaging techniques will provide new insights into the impact of fixation and staining on tissue shrinkage. By identifying reliable tissue-specific correction factors to adjust for shrinkage, this project will provide a starting point for future neuroanatomical studies seeking to use data from different imaging protocols. NeuroSquam’s originality and interdisciplinary nature will generate exceptional datasets and high-profile outputs and establish the applicant as an innovative leader in functional and comparative (paleo) neuroanatomy.Status
SIGNEDCall topic
HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-01Update Date
31-07-2023
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