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Morphometric variability of minicolumns in the striate cortex of Homo sapiens , Macaca mulatta , and Pan troglodytes
Author(s) -
Casanova Manuel F.,
Trippe II Juan,
Tillquist Christopher,
Switala Andrew E.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.932
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1469-7580
pISSN - 0021-8782
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2008.01027.x
Subject(s) - neuropil , cortex (anatomy) , biology , claustrum , striate cortex , homo sapiens , cerebral cortex , anatomy , neuroscience , macaque , visual cortex , central nervous system , geography , nucleus , archaeology
Radially oriented ensembles of neurons and their projections, termed minicolumns, are hypothesized to be the basic microcircuit of mammalian cerebral cortex. Minicolumns can be divided into a core and a peripheral neuropil space compartment. The core of minicolumns is constrained by the migratory path of pyramidal cells and their attendant radially oriented projections. Variation in minicolumnar morphometry and density is observed both within and across species. Using a scale‐independent measure of variability in minicolumnar width ( V CW ), we demonstrated a significant increase in V CW in layers III–V of striate cortex in humans relative to macaques and chimpanzees. Despite changes in minicolumnar width ( CW ) across species, their core space ( w ) remained the same. Given that cellular elements and processes within the peripheral neuropil space of minicolumns are derived from assorted sources, cross‐species differences in VCW may result from genetic and epigenetic influences acting primarily on this compartment of the minicolumn.