Biomaterial Database

The organization of neocortex in mammals: are species differences really so different? 1995

L Krubitzer

Dept of Psychology, University of California, USA.

By examining a variety of mammals, it is possible to determine common features of cortical organization, and from these infer homologies across species. Such analysis also enables differences in the organization of the neocortex to be identified. Species differ in the amount of cortex that is devoted to a particular sensory system, in the size and configuration of a cortical field, in the number of cortical fields, and in the pattern of connections of homologous fields. It is suggested that the plan of organization that is retained is the result of homologous developmental events, and that modifications to this plan are generated by a limited set of mechanisms. These types of changes to the common network might account for the sensory and behavioural diversity that is observed in extant mammals.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008322	Mammals	Warm-blooded vertebrate animals belonging to the class Mammalia, including all that possess hair and suckle their young.	Mammalia,Mammal
D002540	Cerebral Cortex	The thin layer of GRAY MATTER on the surface of the CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES that develops from the TELENCEPHALON and folds into gyri and sulci. It reaches its highest development in humans and is responsible for intellectual faculties and higher mental functions.	Allocortex,Archipallium,Cortex Cerebri,Cortical Plate,Paleocortex,Periallocortex,Allocortices,Archipalliums,Cerebral Cortices,Cortex Cerebrus,Cortex, Cerebral,Cortical Plates,Paleocortices,Periallocortices,Plate, Cortical
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013045	Species Specificity	The restriction of a characteristic behavior, anatomical structure or physical system, such as immune response; metabolic response, or gene or gene variant to the members of one species. It refers to that property which differentiates one species from another but it is also used for phylogenetic levels higher or lower than the species.	Species Specificities,Specificities, Species,Specificity, Species