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Books Received
Primate-Science / PrimateLit


BRAIN EVOLUTION AND COGNITION

Edited by
GERHARD ROTH and
MARIO F. WULLIMANN


University of Bremen, Brain Research Institute and Center for Cognitive Science, Bremen,
Federal Republic of Germany


A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC
New York 2001


FROM THE BACK COVER:



Can one fully understand the mechanisms of brain evolution? Why have some brains become
large andcomplex, and others small and simple, while still others have remained the
same for hundreds of millions of years? Where, how, and why did cognition evolve? Is
there any definable relationship between cognitive function and brain structure and
function? These are just some of the questions posed by the contributing authors of this
unique book. By bringing together two intrinsically related topics-the structural evolution
of the brain and the concomitant evolution of cognitive functions-Brain Evolution and
Cognition addresses the much debated topic of brain evolution, cognitive functions, and the
relationship between them.

Uniting information on structural brain variability and cognitive aspects in one text, this
book provides a survey of the current status of what is known about animal cognition and
its relationship to the underlying diversity of brain structures. This volume cuts across
boundaries by introducing data on various species and also:


o     Reviews developmental and adult brain organization in an evolutionary context
o     Presents case studies of vertebrate brain evolution
o     Offers an overview of cognition from neural basis to behavior
o     Is accessible to a broad range of readers with its nontechnical writing style
o     Includes lavish illustrations for a clear and concise presentation of concepts


With contributions by world-renowned leaders in their fields, Brain Evolution and Cognition
is an indispensable reference for neuroanatomists, neuroethologists, evolutionary biologists,
developmental biologists, neurologists, neuroscientists, zoologists, and cognitive and
behavioral psychologists.




CONTENTS


INTRODUCTION


  Problems in the study of brain evolution and cognition     1


  Mario F. Wullimann and Gerhard Roth


  Handicaps in the search for an evolutionary history of vertebrate brains     1
  Silent revolutions emerging     2
  The amniote telencephalon as a case in point     3
  A special position for humans?     5
  What is cognition?     6
  References     7


PART I DEVELOPMENTAL AND ADULT BRAIN
ORGANIZATION IN EVOLUTION


1 Brain phenotypes and early regulatory genes:
The Bauplan of the metazoan central nervous system     11


Mario F: Wullimann


Introduction     11
Comparative phenotypic analysis of metazoan central nervous characters     13
The cladistic framework     13
A can of worms: Plathelminths, nemathelminths, nemertines     14
The molluscan controversy     20
The arthropod CNS, rather than being ancestral to the vertebrate CNS,
is equally remote from the basic bilaterian Bauplan as the craniate brain     22
Deuterostome nervous systems     25
Conclusion     28
Early genes in neural development - Do they tell a different story?     30
Development and Bauplan of the vertebrate CNS     30
Early regulatory genes and neuromeres in the vertebrate brain     32
Early regulatory genes and the insect CNS     32
Phylogenetic interpretation of molecular genetic and phenotypic data     34
Conclusion     36       
References     37


2 The echinoderm nervous system and its phylogenetic interpretation     41


Thomas Heinzeller and Ulrich Welsch


Introduction     41
Description of Nervous Systems     44
Larval nervous system     44
Postmetamorphotic nervous system: Common features     45
Postmetamorphotic nervous system: Group-specific features     51
Cryptosyringida     54
Inter-class comparison of sensory versus motor function     60
Questions of Symmetry     60
Central part of the body     60
Bilateral symmetry and segmentation of the arms     61
Are echinoderm arms homologous with bilaterian trunks?     62
Echinoderm ectoneural cord versus chordate neural plate     62
Additional body axes     64
Hydrocoel and notochord - are they convergent or homologous?     65
Locomotion of Echinoderms     66
Phylogenetic Aspects     68
Consistency versus flexibility of regulatory genes     68
Garstang's hypothesis     68
Systematics of echinoderms     69
Missing brain     69
References     69


3 Evolution of vertebrate motor systems     77


Hans J. ten Donkelaar


Introduction     77
Basics of vertebrate locomotion    80
Prehensile extremities     84
Features of the ancestral vertebrate motor system     85
Neural control of quadrupedal locomotion      91
Supraspinal control     93
Descending supraspinal pathways     93
The cerebellorubrospinal limb control system     98
The special case for birds     104
Summary     106
References     107


4 Sensory system evolution in vertebrates     113


William Hodos and Ann B. Butler


How many senses?     113
How many cranial nerves?     115
Trends in sensory system evolution     116
Ascending sensory pathways     119
Neuroembryology and the evolution of sensory systems     120
Evolution of new sensory receptors     122
Evolution of new primary, secondary, and higher order
sensory nuclei                                                   122    
The evolution of sensory specialists     123
Evolution of central sensory pathways     124
The evolution of new central sensory nuclei     125
The evolution of sensory maps     126
Loss of sensory receptors and central pathways     127
Mechanisms of sensory system evolution     130
References     131


5 Evolution of the forebrain in tetrapods     135


Toru Shimizu


Introduction135
Evolution of tetrapods     137
Early tetrapods - Ancestral amphibians     137
Early amniotes - Ancestral reptiles     137
Synapsids - Mammals     140
Sauropsids - Reptiles     142
Sauropsids - Birds     144
Conclusion     145
Forebrain organization of living tetrapods     145
Amphibian pattern     146
Mammalian pattern     152
Sauropsid pattern     156
Conclusion     161
Evolutionary history of the tetrapod forebrain     162
Early tetrapods     163
Early amniotes     163
Synapsids and sauropsids     165
Conclusion     169
Environmental pressures on the tetrapod forebrain     170
Anamniote pattern versus amniote pattern     171
Sauropsid pattern versus mammalian pattern     172
Conclusion     175
References     176


6 Neocortical macrocircuits     185


Rudolf Nienwenhuys


Introduction    185
Major sensorimotor projections     186
Control systems     189
Reticular, greater limbic and general
modulatory inputs to neocortical circuitry     192
The ascending reticular system     192
The greater limbic system     193
Monoaminergic and cholinergic modulatory systems     194
Cortico-subcortico-cortical association systems     195
The thalamic association system     196
The striatal association system     198
The cerebellar association system     199
Summary     201
References     202


7 Hunting in barn owls: Peripheral and neurobiological
specializations and their general relevance in neural computation     205


Hermann Wagner


Introduction     205
Evolutionary position and geographical distribution of the barn owl     206
Hunting as a complex behavior      206
General comments     206
Formal description of the hunting situation     208
Adaptations of barn owls to hunting in the night     209
The barn owl's brain     212
Morphological adaptations of the owl's brain
to hunting and life at night                         213        
Physiological adaptations     216
Coincidence detection     218
Further brain adaptations subserving sound-localization behavior     225
Differences in the representation of acoustic
space in diurnal and nocturnal owls                 228
General meaning of coincidence detection and across-frequency
integration                                                               228
Conclusions     231
References     232


8 Evolution and devolution: The case of bolitoglossine salamanders     237


Gerhard Roth and David B. Wake


Introduction     237
The Bolitoglossini     238
The brain of salamanders and frogs     244
The visual system of bolitoglossines     249
Retina and retinofugal system     249
Tectum     250
The fate of other sensory systems     253
Causes and consequences of simplification
in the context of paedomorphosis                     254
What do bolitoglossines tell us about evolution in general
 and brain evolution in particular?                                 258
References     260


9 Evolutionary constraints of large telencephala     265


Gerd Rehkamper, Heiko D. Frahm, and Michael D. Mann


Evolution -What does that mean?     265
Brain and brain part size as a heuristic tool     266
What factors influence brain size or brain part size?     268
There is no brain size alteration     269
Brain size alterations are epiphenomena     269
Brain size is influenced by individual learning     270
Brain size and brain part size reflect adaptation     271
Definition of "large telencephala"     271
Mammals     272
Telencephala enlarged because of dominance of olfactory orientation     272
Telencephala enlarged because of superior spatial cognition     272
Telencephala enlarged because of a voluminous isocortex     275
Isocortex (and therefore, telencephalon) enlarged because of
elaborated somatosensory areas together with a necessity of motor
coordination in a subterranean life                                           276               
Telencephala enlarged because of multimodal integration     278
Birds     278
Telencephala enlarged because of olfaction     278
Telencephala enlarged because of spatial cognition     279
Telencephala enlarged because of isocortical equivalents     280
Domesticated animals     283
Again: Theories of brain size and brain composition     285
Conclusions    288
References     289


PART II COGNITION: FROM NEURAL BASIS TO BEHAVIOR


10 Brain and cognitive function in teleost fishes     297


Leo S. Demski and Joel A. Beaver


Introduction     297
Studies on cognition in fishes     298
Brain lesions and cognitive behavior in fishes     300
Telencephalon: Nonspatial learning     300
Telencephalon: Spatial learning     301
Cerebellum     302
Tectum     303
Relative brain size and development: Implications for cognitive
function in fishes                                                      304
Studies in minnows (Cypriniformes)    304
Blind and sighted characins     306
The cichlids of the African great lakes     306
Coral reef percomorphs     307
Microcircuitry of telencephalic enhancements in selected percomorphs     311
Area dorsalis telencephali pars lateralis (dorsal part)     313
Area dorsalis telencephali pars centralis     317
Area dorsalis telencephali pars medialis     319
Behavioral studies on the enlarged telencephalon of percomorphs     321
Summary and conclusions     323
References     325


11 Cognition in insects: The honeybee as a study case     333


Randolf Menzel, Martin Giurfa, Bertram Gerber, and Frank Hellstern


Introduction: Brain, behavior, and biology of honeybees     333
Behavior and biology of honeybees     333
Design of an insect brain     335
Elementary and configural forms of learning in classical conditioning     338
The preparation: Classical conditioning of the proboscis
extension reflex                                                 338
A cognitive approach to memory dynamics     340
The elementary-configural distinction     342
Cognitive aspects of elementary forms of conditioning?     342
Configural forms of conditioning     345
Learning in the natural context     346
Context-dependent learning and retrieval     346
Serial order in a spatiotemporal domain     348
The representation of space in navigation     350
Visual discrimination learning in honeybees: Generalization,
categorization, and concept formation                                354
Conclusion     359
Basic cognition with a small brain     359
The ecological niche and basic cognition     360
References     362      


12 Insect brain     367


Nicholas J. Strausfeld


Introduction     367
General features of segmental ganglia     368
The protocerebrum and the preoral brain     372
Evolutionary considerations     372
General organization of the protocerebrum     373
The mushroom bodies     375
Structure     375
Evolution of mushroom bodies in insects     377
Relationship to primary sensory neuropils     378
Mushroom body physiology     381
Roles of mushroom bodies     382
The central complex     384
Evolutionary considerations     384
Organization of the central complex     384
Central complex function     385
Comparisons of brain regions amongst arthropods     389
Mushroom bodies     389
The central complex     390
Insect and vertebrate brains compared     393
Equivalence of insect and vertebrate embryonic forebrain     392
The adult brain     393
References     395


13 Conservation in the neurology and psychology of cognition
in vertebrates                                                            401


Euan M. Macphail


Introduction: Complexity in brains and behaviour     401
Species differences in intelligence     402
Birds and mammals compared     403
The basal ganglia     405
Paleostriatal lesions and classical conditioning in the pigeon     407
The archistriatum     409
Posteromedial archistriatum: Fear and avoidance     409
Anterior and intermediate archistriatum: Parallels with isocortex     411
Olfactory cortex     411
Hippocampal complex     412
Isocortical analogues/homologues     416
Conclusions     426
References     427


14 Multimodal areas of the avian forebrain-Blueprints for cognition?     431


Onur Gunturkun and Daniel Durstewitz


The theme     431
Working memory and prefrontal cortex     432
Avian brain and cognition     434
Details of the machine     437
The decline of a memory store     439
Simulation of the machine     442
Looking inside     449
References     450


15 Cognition of birds as products of evolved brains     451


Juan D. Delius, Martina Siemann, Jacky Emmerton and Li Xia


Introduction     451
Categorization     456
Concepts     461
Transitivity     467
Numerosity     472
Epilogue     477
References     483


16 What can the cerebral cortex do better than other parts
of the brain                                                        491 


Almut Schaz


Introduction     491
Basic connectivity of the isocortex     492
The cerebral cortex and cognition     494
Comparative aspects     497
Brain size and connectivity     497
Allocortex and reptilian cortex     498
References     499


17 Evolution and complexity of the human brain:
Some organizing principles                                501


Michel A. Hofman


Introduction     501
Evolution of brain size     502
Encephalization in primates     505
General constraints on brain evolution     507
Evolution and geometry of the cerebral cortex     510
Design principles of neuronal organization     514
Biological limits to information processing     515
Concluding remarks     518
References     519


18 The evolution of neural and behavioral complexity     523


Harry J. Jerison


Introduction     523
Vigilance and attention: An old-fashioned view     525
Costs and attention     526
Costs and brains     531
Brain size in living vertebrates: Allometry and encephalization     533
Exceptions     535
Early avian and mammalian encephalization    539
Progressive encephalization in mammals     542
More on neural information     544
Neural and behavioral complexity     546
Why some brains are big: What do big brains do?     547
References     551


19 The evolution of consciousness     555


Gerhard Koth


Phenomenology of consciousness     556
The neurobiological basis of the different states and
appearances of consciousness                                   558
Cognition and consciousness in animals     564
Animal brains and human brain     568
Consciousness and language     577
Conclusions     579
References     580


Index     583


WHERE TO ORDER:


John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
1 Wiley Drive
Somerset, NJ 08875-1272


Tel: 1-800-225-5945
URL: http://www.wiley.com


ISBN 0-471-33170-8 (cloth: elk. Paper)


Price: $125.00 

URL: http://www.primate.wisc.edu/pin/review/brain.html
Page last modified: October 17, 2001
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