Gunz, Philipp, Tilot, Amanda K., Wittfeld, Katharina et al. (24 more authors) (2019) Neandertal Introgression Sheds Light on Modern Human Endocranial Globularity. Current Biology. 120-127.e5. ISSN 0960-9822
Abstract
One of the features that distinguishes modern humans from our extinct relatives and ancestors is a globular shape of the braincase [1–4]. As the endocranium closely mirrors the outer shape of the brain, these differences might reflect altered neural architecture [4, 5]. However, in the absence of fossil brain tissue, the underlying neuroanatomical changes as well as their genetic bases remain elusive. To better understand the biological foundations of modern human endocranial shape, we turn to our closest extinct relatives: the Neandertals. Interbreeding between modern humans and Neandertals has resulted in introgressed fragments of Neandertal DNA in the genomes of present-day non-Africans [6, 7]. Based on shape analyses of fossil skull endocasts, we derive a measure of endocranial globularity from structural MRI scans of thousands of modern humans and study the effects of introgressed fragments of Neandertal DNA on this phenotype. We find that Neandertal alleles on chromosomes 1 and 18 are associated with reduced endocranial globularity. These alleles influence expression of two nearby genes, UBR4 and PHLPP1, which are involved in neurogenesis and myelination, respectively. Our findings show how integration of fossil skull data with archaic genomics and neuroimaging can suggest developmental mechanisms that may contribute to the unique modern human endocranial shape.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 The Authors. |
Keywords: | basal ganglia,brain shape,cerebellum,evolution,gene expression,genetic association,homo sapiens,magnetic resonance imaging,myelination,Neandertal |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 09 Sep 2019 09:30 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jan 2025 00:20 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.10.065 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.cub.2018.10.065 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:150630 |
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