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  1. Article ; Online: Theropod dinosaurs had primate-like numbers of telencephalic neurons.

    Herculano-Houzel, Suzana

    The Journal of comparative neurology

    2023  Volume 531, Issue 9, Page(s) 962–974

    Abstract: Understanding the neuronal composition of the brains of dinosaurs and other fossil amniotes would offer fundamental insight into their behavioral and cognitive capabilities, but brain tissue is only rarely fossilized. However, when the bony brain case is ...

    Abstract Understanding the neuronal composition of the brains of dinosaurs and other fossil amniotes would offer fundamental insight into their behavioral and cognitive capabilities, but brain tissue is only rarely fossilized. However, when the bony brain case is preserved, the volume and therefore mass of the brain can be estimated with computer tomography; and if the scaling relationship between brain mass and numbers of neurons for the clade is known, that relationship can be applied to estimate the neuronal composition of the brain. Using a recently published database of numbers of neurons in the telencephalon of extant sauropsids (birds, squamates, and testudines), here I show that the neuronal scaling rules that apply to these animals can be used to infer the numbers of neurons that composed the telencephalon of dinosaur, pterosaur, and other fossil sauropsid species. The key to inferring numbers of telencephalic neurons in these species is first using the relationship between their estimated brain and body mass to determine whether bird-like (endothermic) or squamate-like (ectothermic) rules apply to each fossil sauropsid species. This procedure shows that the notion of "mesothermy" in dinosaurs is an artifact due to the mixing of animals with bird-like and squamate-like scaling, and indicates that theropods such as Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus were endotherms with baboon- and monkey-like numbers of telencephalic neurons, respectively, which would make these animals not only giant but also long-lived and endowed with flexible cognition, and thus even more magnificent predators than previously thought.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Dinosaurs/physiology ; Reptiles ; Neurons ; Fossils ; Primates ; Birds/physiology ; Biological Evolution ; Phylogeny
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-01-05
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 3086-7
    ISSN 1096-9861 ; 0021-9967 ; 0092-7317
    ISSN (online) 1096-9861
    ISSN 0021-9967 ; 0092-7317
    DOI 10.1002/cne.25453
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  2. Article ; Online: Could a theropod like T. rex have had human-like numbers of neurons?

    Herculano-Houzel, Suzana

    The Journal of comparative neurology

    2023  Volume 531, Issue 9, Page(s) 959–961

    MeSH term(s) Neurons ; Animals ; Dinosaurs/anatomy & histology
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-04-07
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 3086-7
    ISSN 1096-9861 ; 0021-9967 ; 0092-7317
    ISSN (online) 1096-9861
    ISSN 0021-9967 ; 0092-7317
    DOI 10.1002/cne.25472
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  3. Article ; Online: Passages 2023.

    Herculano-Houzel, Suzana

    The Journal of comparative neurology

    2022  Volume 531, Issue 1, Page(s) 2–4

    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-11-22
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Editorial
    ZDB-ID 3086-7
    ISSN 1096-9861 ; 0021-9967 ; 0092-7317
    ISSN (online) 1096-9861
    ISSN 0021-9967 ; 0092-7317
    DOI 10.1002/cne.25438
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  4. Article ; Online: Mammalian neurobiology: The elephant (brain) in the room.

    Herculano-Houzel, Suzana

    Current biology : CB

    2022  Volume 32, Issue 4, Page(s) R176–R178

    Abstract: Neuroscience research is understandably focused on highly tractable and lab-friendly mice and rats, but that emphasis obfuscates the biological beauty and intellectual richness that lies in animal diversity. The benefits of venturing further into that ... ...

    Abstract Neuroscience research is understandably focused on highly tractable and lab-friendly mice and rats, but that emphasis obfuscates the biological beauty and intellectual richness that lies in animal diversity. The benefits of venturing further into that phylogenetic diversity are nicely illustrated by a new study on the elephant brain.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Mice ; Rats ; Brain ; Elephants ; Neurobiology ; Phylogeny
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-02-15
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article ; Comment
    ZDB-ID 1071731-6
    ISSN 1879-0445 ; 0960-9822
    ISSN (online) 1879-0445
    ISSN 0960-9822
    DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.058
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  5. Article ; Online: Birds do have a brain cortex-and think.

    Herculano-Houzel, Suzana

    Science (New York, N.Y.)

    2020  Volume 369, Issue 6511, Page(s) 1567–1568

    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Birds ; Brain ; Cerebral Cortex ; Consciousness
    Language English
    Publishing date 2020-09-24
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Comment
    ZDB-ID 128410-1
    ISSN 1095-9203 ; 0036-8075
    ISSN (online) 1095-9203
    ISSN 0036-8075
    DOI 10.1126/science.abe0536
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  6. Article ; Online: Life history changes accompany increased numbers of cortical neurons: A new framework for understanding human brain evolution.

    Herculano-Houzel, Suzana

    Progress in brain research

    2019  Volume 250, Page(s) 179–216

    Abstract: Narratives of human evolution have focused on cortical expansion and increases in brain size relative to body size, but considered that changes in life history, such as in age at sexual maturity and thus the extent of childhood and maternal dependence, ... ...

    Abstract Narratives of human evolution have focused on cortical expansion and increases in brain size relative to body size, but considered that changes in life history, such as in age at sexual maturity and thus the extent of childhood and maternal dependence, or maximal longevity, are evolved features that appeared as consequences of selection for increased brain size, or increased cognitive abilities that decrease mortality rates, or due to selection for grandmotherly contribution to feeding the young. Here I build on my recent finding that slower life histories universally accompany increased numbers of cortical neurons across warm-blooded species to propose a simpler framework for human evolution: that slower development to sexual maturity and increased post-maturity longevity are features that do not require selection, but rather inevitably and immediately accompany evolutionary increases in numbers of cortical neurons, thus fostering human social interactions and cultural and technological evolution as generational overlap increases.
    MeSH term(s) Adaptation, Biological ; Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Brain ; Humans
    Language English
    Publishing date 2019-08-26
    Publishing country Netherlands
    Document type Comparative Study ; Journal Article ; Review
    ISSN 1875-7855 ; 0079-6123
    ISSN (online) 1875-7855
    ISSN 0079-6123
    DOI 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.06.001
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  7. Article: From a Demand-Based to a Supply-Limited Framework of Brain Metabolism.

    Herculano-Houzel, Suzana / Rothman, Douglas L

    Frontiers in integrative neuroscience

    2022  Volume 16, Page(s) 818685

    Abstract: What defines the rate of energy use by the brain, as well as per neurons of different sizes in different structures and animals, is one fundamental aspect of neuroscience for which much has been theorized, but very little data are available. The ... ...

    Abstract What defines the rate of energy use by the brain, as well as per neurons of different sizes in different structures and animals, is one fundamental aspect of neuroscience for which much has been theorized, but very little data are available. The prevalent theories and models consider that energy supply from the vascular system to different brain regions is adjusted both dynamically and in the course of development and evolution to meet the
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-04-01
    Publishing country Switzerland
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 2452962-X
    ISSN 1662-5145
    ISSN 1662-5145
    DOI 10.3389/fnint.2022.818685
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  8. Article: Energy supply per neuron is constrained by capillary density in the mouse brain.

    Ventura-Antunes, aLissa / Herculano-Houzel, Suzana

    Frontiers in integrative neuroscience

    2022  Volume 16, Page(s) 760887

    Abstract: Neuronal densities vary enormously across sites within a brain. Does the density of the capillary bed vary accompanying the presumably larger energy requirement of sites with more neurons, or with larger neurons, or is energy supply constrained by a ... ...

    Abstract Neuronal densities vary enormously across sites within a brain. Does the density of the capillary bed vary accompanying the presumably larger energy requirement of sites with more neurons, or with larger neurons, or is energy supply constrained by a mostly homogeneous capillary bed? Here we find evidence for the latter, with a capillary bed that represents typically between 0.7 and 1.5% of the volume of the parenchyma across various sites in the mouse brain, whereas neuronal densities vary by at least 100-fold. As a result, the ratio of capillary cells per neuron decreases uniformly with increasing neuronal density and therefore with smaller average neuronal size across sites. Thus, given the relatively constant capillary density compared to neuronal density in the brain, blood and energy availability per neuron is presumably dependent on how many neurons compete for the limited supply provided by a mostly homogeneous capillary bed. Additionally, we find that local capillary density is not correlated with local synapse densities, although there is a small but significant correlation between lower neuronal density (and therefore larger neuronal size) and more synapses per neuron within the restricted range of 6,500-9,500 across cortical sites. Further, local variations in the glial/neuron ratio are not correlated with local variations in the number of synapses per neuron or local synaptic densities. These findings suggest that it is not that larger neurons, neurons with more synapses, or even sites with more synapses
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-08-29
    Publishing country Switzerland
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 2452962-X
    ISSN 1662-5145
    ISSN 1662-5145
    DOI 10.3389/fnint.2022.760887
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  9. Article: The Evolution of Human Capabilities and Abilities.

    Herculano-Houzel, Suzana

    Cerebrum : the Dana forum on brain science

    2018  Volume 2018

    Abstract: As our author writes, "what distinguishes humans from other species is not how small or large, dense or scarce our cortical neurons are, but simply how many of them we have to do the job of navigating through life." This article is the first of two that ... ...

    Abstract As our author writes, "what distinguishes humans from other species is not how small or large, dense or scarce our cortical neurons are, but simply how many of them we have to do the job of navigating through life." This article is the first of two that will address the development of the human brain. Both articles examine the biological grounds of human uniqueness
    Language English
    Publishing date 2018-04-01
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 2251230-5
    ISSN 1524-6205
    ISSN 1524-6205
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  10. Article ; Online: Longevity and sexual maturity vary across species with number of cortical neurons, and humans are no exception.

    Herculano-Houzel, Suzana

    The Journal of comparative neurology

    2018  Volume 527, Issue 10, Page(s) 1689–1705

    Abstract: Maximal longevity of endotherms has long been considered to increase with decreasing specific metabolic rate, and thus with increasing body mass. Using a dataset of over 700 species, here I show that maximal longevity, age at sexual maturity, and ... ...

    Abstract Maximal longevity of endotherms has long been considered to increase with decreasing specific metabolic rate, and thus with increasing body mass. Using a dataset of over 700 species, here I show that maximal longevity, age at sexual maturity, and postmaturity longevity across bird and mammalian species instead correlate primarily, and universally, with the number of cortical brain neurons. Correlations with metabolic rate and body mass are entirely explained by clade-specific relationships between these variables and numbers of cortical neurons across species. Importantly, humans reach sexual maturity and subsequently live just as long as expected for their number of cortical neurons, which eliminates the basis for earlier theories of protracted childhood and prolonged post-menopause longevity as derived human characteristics. Longevity might increase together with numbers of cortical neurons through their impact on three main factors: delay of sexual maturity, which postpones the onset of aging; lengthening of the period of viable physiological integration and adaptation, which increases postmaturity longevity; and improved cognitive capabilities that benefit survival of the self and of longer-lived progeny, and are conducive to prolonged learning and cultural transmission through increased generational overlap. Importantly, the findings indicate that theories of aging and neurodegenerative diseases should take absolute time lived besides relative "age" into consideration.
    MeSH term(s) Aging/physiology ; Animals ; Cerebral Cortex/cytology ; Female ; Humans ; Longevity/physiology ; Male ; Neurons/cytology ; Sexual Maturation/physiology ; Species Specificity
    Language English
    Publishing date 2018-11-20
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 3086-7
    ISSN 1096-9861 ; 0021-9967 ; 0092-7317
    ISSN (online) 1096-9861
    ISSN 0021-9967 ; 0092-7317
    DOI 10.1002/cne.24564
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