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Virtual endocasts: an application of computed tomography in the study of brain variation among hyenas
Author(s) -
Sakai Sharleen T.,
Arsznov Bradley M.,
Lundrigan Barbara L.,
Holekamp Kay E.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.05988.x
Subject(s) - endocast , brain size , hyena , cerebrum , intraspecific competition , brain morphometry , biology , volume (thermodynamics) , zoology , anatomy , evolutionary biology , skull , neuroscience , medicine , central nervous system , magnetic resonance imaging , physics , quantum mechanics , radiology
Reliable brain volume measurements are crucial in identifying factors that influence the course of brain evolution. Here, we demonstrate the potential for using virtual endocasts (VEs) to examine inter‐ and intraspecific variation in brain volume in members of the family Hyaenidae. Total endocranial volume (adjusted for body size) and anterior cerebrum volume (adjusted for endocranial volume) were greater in the spotted hyena, the most gregarious of the species, than in the other hyaenids, all of which are less gregarious. An intraspecific analysis of spotted hyenas revealed that anterior cerebrum volume is significantly larger in males than females, although total endocranial volume does not differ between the sexes. Greater total endocranial and anterior cerebrum volume of spotted hyenas, relative to those of other hyena species, may be related to increased neural processing mediating cognitive demands associated with a complex social life. These data demonstrate that computed tomographic (CT) technology can be used to create VEs in species for which actual brains are rare or unavailable, and suggest that this approach can be applied systematically to explore intra‐ and interspecies brain variations in studies of brain evolution.