- Parallel evolutionary expansion of prefrontal projecting cerebellar lobules in primates. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Jul 30; :1. [Online ahead of print]BB
- Complex cognitive abilities have evolved several times independently in primates, yet whether convergent behavior reflects modifications to common neural systems remains unclear. We examined cerebellar lobular expansion across 51 primate species (103 specimens) using phylogenetic comparative methods (pANCOVA, AICc model comparison) to test four a priori hypotheses about posterior lobular expansio…
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- Spatial mapping of rapid cell turnover in the reptilian brain. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Jul 23; :1-19. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: The current findings can be utilized to understand neural plasticity in a vertebrate group that is understudied compared to mammals and birds.
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- The Morphological Underpinnings of Stage-Wise Cognitive Development: Recognizing Piagetian Transitions in Structural Brain Maturation. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Jul 10; :1-12. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide quantitative evidence that the emergence of complex cognitive faculties is biologically paced by discrete waves of cortical restructuring. Furthermore, the efficacy of this morphometric approach on endocasts validates its potential for reconstructing the evolutionary ontogeny of intelligence in extinct Homo species, offering a bridge between developmental psychology and paleoanthropology.
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- "Mind over Muscle": Neural and Biomechanical Signatures of Expertise in Early Stone Tool Use. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Jun 18; :1-27. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, these findings provide critical insights into the brain-hand interplay required for humanlike early stone tool use and highlight cumulative practical knowledge ("know-how") as a decisive factor of neuromechanical efficiency in early hominin technological behavior. They also encourage future experimental research on increased sample sizes to adopt integrated methods that jointly consider neural and muscular dynamics.
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- A Step Forward in Encephalization: The Virtual Endocast of the Middle Pleistocene Hominin from Ceprano, Italy. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Jun 01; :1-21. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, we suggest that Ceprano should be considered a proxy for the ancestral morphology of Homo heidelbergensis, involving a two-phase model of brain evolution, in which an overall cerebral enlargement preceded lineage-specific cortical reorganizations. Thus, its mosaic morphology highlights the neuroanatomical foundations preceding subsequent divergences within later Homo species.
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- Anatomical and Volumetric Description of the Baird's Beaked Whale (Berardius bairdii) Brain from Magnetic Resonance Imaging. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 May 29; :1-23. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: These neuroanatomical differences may reflect energy allocation strategies related to diving behavior and body size. By placing these traits within a broader mammalian comparative framework, this study contributes to our understanding of how ecological pressures may shape brain evolution, particularly in rarely studied cetacean lineages such as the Ziphiidae.
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- Immunohistochemical Staining of the Brain of the Tuatara <italic>Sphenodon punctatus</italic>. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 May 21; :1-21. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: The forebrain and midbrain labeling shows remarkable resemblance to that reported in turtles. Images of the labeling are available at <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://Brainmaps.org" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Brainmaps.org</ext-link>, and the slides are banked at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, where they can be analyzed in greater depth by interested investigators.
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- Macroevolutionary Patterns of Endocast Lateralization in Catarrhines and Fossil Hominins. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 May 21; :1-13. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: The patterns we identified reflect macroevolutionary modifications of endocranial shape and do not constitute direct evidence of hemispheric functional specialization. Nevertheless, the observed evolutionary dynamics are consistent with broader scenarios involving increasing structural reorganization of the brain during hominin evolution. These findings provide a quantitative framework for investigating the evolutionary history of endocranial asymmetry and its potential biological correlates while maintaining a clear distinction between morphological evidence and functional interpretation.
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- Phylogenetic Patterns and Genomic Correlates of Pronounced Neocortical Reduction in New World Monkeys. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 May 21; :1-11. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: The absence of a clear neurodevelopmental genomic signal contrasts with previously reported signatures of positive selection on brain-related genes in encephalized cebids, suggesting that brain expansions and reductions in anthropoids may not share a common genomic basis. This also opens up the possibility that the neocortical reduction detected here emerged as a by-product of selection on other traits (e.g., body size or life-history), rather than as a direct target of selection on neural phenotypes.
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- The Impact of Developmental and Genetic Influences on Neural Circuits. [Review]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 May 09; :1-7. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: To support this suggestion, specific examples of developmental and genetic events are presented that might not be appreciated if only adult brains were investigated. Examples include the following. One is the origin of nuclei from the same developmental field that divides into major subdivisions. Each of the resulting areas has neurons with different morphology, connections, and molecular signatures. The other is new circuit formation that is produced in three ways. One is the result of peripheral sensory receptor reduction. Another is the consequence of genetic mutation. The third is due to axonal pruning or perinatal injury.In certain instances, developmental and genetic features provide additional perspectives to better understand how circuit formation in the brains of adult animals came to be.
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- Locomotor and Cognitive Evolution in Early Hominins: An Evo-Devo Perspective. [Review]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Apr 18; :1-10. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: Human babies' locomotor milestone of crawling on hands and knees is hypothesized to have been derived during hominin evolution in place of a knuckle-walking developmental stage that likely existed in the apelike predecessors of the earliest hominins. A review of comparative research suggests that evolutionary modifications in crawling, sitting, and pointing in addition to selection for bipedalism, contributed to the progressive evolution of both locomotion and advanced cognition in hominins.Comparisons of the ontogenetic development of locomotor stages in chimpanzee and human infants suggest that locomotor evolution and the emergence of advanced cognition were deeply intertwined during hominin evolution.
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- Scaling and Neuronal Counts Evolutionary Dynamics across Amniotes. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Mar 30; :1-11. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: We confirm the presence of a marked shift in the scaling relationships between body and brain size and brain neuron numbers within mammals and birds. Primates display the highest slope, whereas Squamata and Testudines show the lowest. Furthermore, we detected the absence of correlation between the rates of evolution in Testudines and a weaker correlation in Squamata. These results suggest that not all amniotes show similar scaling trends between body and brain size and brain neuron numbers and that coordinated evolution between brain size and neuron numbers is an emergent property only of the most encephalised clades.
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- Spectral Transmittance of the Ocular Media of Eight Seabird Species from Two Orders: Procellariiformes (Petrels and Shearwaters) and Suliformes (Gannets and Shags). [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Mar 26; :1-8. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: Both phylogeny and ecology could play a role in UV vision in seabirds and understanding the wavelengths that seabirds perceive can be crucial for conservation against visual threats.
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- Of Moles and Men: The Evolution and Design of Soft Tissue Forceps. [Journal Article]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Mar 16; :1-9. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: The results reveal an example of serendipitous biomimicry by human surgeons in designing soft tissue forceps, highlight the importance of motor specializations in the star-nosed mole's fast foraging ability, and suggest some of the specific anatomical specialization that are the result of selection on the key variables (space clearance rate and handling time) in Holling's pioneering foraging theory equation.
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- How Imprinted Genes Shape Nurturing Behaviours and Neural Circuits. [Review]Brain Behav Evol. 2026 Feb 23; :1-15. [Online ahead of print]BB
- CONCLUSIONS: Genomic imprinting influences some key mammalian physiologies, including brain and behaviour. Imprinted gene expression is enriched in the "parental hub" neurons of the hypothalamus and the wider defined parental care circuitry. Furthermore, manipulation of a number of these imprinted genes in mice leads to changes in parental care giving.We propose that imprinted genes are likely to influence parental behaviour at several levels. Given their over-representation, it is probable that the recognised "imprinted gene network" operates within the parental hub neurons of hypothalamus. In addition, expression of imprinted genes in the wider brain circuitry, and the pituitary, may modulate different aspects of parental care behaviour. Finally, the known functional consequences of altered imprinted gene expression most likely arise due to changes in the development and/or cellular composition of the parental care circuitry. However, it is clear there remains much to be discovered before we fully understand how and why genomic imprinting shapes nurturing and parental behaviours.
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