Felids已经为专性食肉动物进化了一套专门的形态适应性。尽管已经对Felidae的肌肉骨骼解剖进行了广泛的研究,费利德的比较神经解剖学是相对未探索。关于猫科动物的大脑解剖结构的变化如何与社会性的物种特异性差异有关,狩猎策略,或活动模式。我们定量分析了前额叶神经纤维变异,主电机,和六种猫科动物的主要视觉皮层(Pantheraleo,Pantherauncia,提格里斯,PantheraLeopardus,Acinonyxjubatus,Felissylvestrisdomesticus)toinvestigaterelationshipwithbrainsize,神经元细胞参数,并选择行为和生态因素。Neuropil是致密的,复杂的轴突网络,树突,和大脑中的突触,在神经元之间的信息处理和交流中起着至关重要的作用。神经纤维比例存在显著的物种和区域差异,非洲狮子,猎豹,与其他物种相比,老虎在所有三个皮质区域都有更多的神经纤维。根据回归分析,我们发现前额叶皮层神经纤维部分的增加支持社会和行为的灵活性,而在初级运动皮层中,这促进了狩猎运动所需的神经活动。初级视觉皮层中较大的Neuropil分数可能有助于与diel活动模式相关的视觉需求。这些结果提供了FelidaeNeuropil分数变异的跨物种比较,特别是研究不足的Panthera,并为Panthera和猎豹的神经解剖学趋同提供证据。
BACKGROUND: Felids have evolved a specialized suite of morphological adaptations for obligate carnivory. Although the musculoskeletal anatomy of the Felidae has been studied extensively, the comparative neuroanatomy of felids is relatively unexplored. Little is known about how variation in the cerebral anatomy of felids relates to species-specific differences in sociality, hunting strategy, or activity patterns.
METHODS: We quantitatively analyzed neuropil variation in the prefrontal, primary motor, and primary visual cortices of six species of Felidae (Panthera leo, Panthera uncia, Panthera tigris, Panthera leopardus, Acinonyx jubatus, Felis sylvestris domesticus) to investigate relationships with brain size, neuronal cell parameters, and select behavioral and ecological factors. Neuropil is the dense, intricate network of axons, dendrites, and synapses in the brain, playing a critical role in information processing and communication between neurons.
RESULTS: There were significant species and regional differences in neuropil proportions, with African lion, cheetah, and tiger having more neuropil in all three cortical regions in comparison to the other species. Based on regression analyses, we find that the increased neuropil fraction in the prefrontal cortex supports social and behavioral flexibility, while in the primary motor cortex, this facilitates the neural activity needed for hunting movements. Greater neuropil fraction in the primary visual cortex may contribute to visual requirements associated with diel activity patterns.
CONCLUSIONS: These results provide a cross-species comparison of neuropil fraction variation in the Felidae, particularly the understudied Panthera, and provide evidence for convergence of the neuroanatomy of Panthera and cheetahs.