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Mechanisms that underlie co‐variation of the brain and face
Author(s) -
Marcucio Ralph S.,
Young Nathan M.,
Hu Diane,
Hallgrimsson Benedikt
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/dvg.20710
Subject(s) - variation (astronomy) , craniofacial , biology , evolutionary biology , neuroscience , morphology (biology) , face (sociological concept) , zoology , genetics , social science , physics , sociology , astrophysics
The effect of the brain on the morphology of the face has long been recognized in both evolutionary biology and clinical medicine. In this work, we describe factors that are active between the development of the brain and face and how these might impact craniofacial variation. First, there is the physical influence of the brain, which contributes to overall growth and morphology of the face through direct structural interactions. Second, there is the molecular influence of the brain, which signals to facial tissues to establish signaling centers that regulate patterned growth. Importantly, subtle alterations to these physical or molecular interactions may contribute to both normal and abnormal variation. These interactions are therefore critical to our understanding of how a diversity of facial morphologies can be generated both within species and across evolutionary time. genesis 49:177–189, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.