Brain evolution is a complex weave of species similarities and differences, bound by diverse rules or principles. Principles of Brain Evolution is a detailed examination of these principles, using data from a wide array of vertebrates but minimizing technical details and terminology. It is written for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and more senior scientists who already know something about "the brain," but want a deeper understanding of how diverse brains evolved.
Part 1: Evolutionary Neuroscience: This Book's Scope And Ambition
- The Book's Scope and Major Themes
Part 2: A Historyof Comparative Neurobiology
- The Birth of Comparative Neuroanatomy
- Darwin's Time: The Owen-Huxley Debate
- The Era of Comparative Cytoarchitectonics
- Comparative Hodology and Histochemistry
- The Rise of Neurocladistics
- The Rejuvenation of Comparative Neuroembryology
- Conclusions
Part 3: Conservation In Vertebrate Brains
- A "Who's Who" of Vertebrates
- Comparing Adult Brains
- Adult Brain Regions
- Adult Cell Types
- Neuron-typical Molecules
- Comparing Embryonic Brains
- The Neuromeric Model
- Criticisms of the Neuromeric Model
- Mapping Embryos onto Adults
- Conclusion
Part 4: Evolutionary Changes In Overall Brain Size
- Changes in Relative Brain Size
- Mechanisms of Brain-body Scaling
- Functional Correlates of Relative Brain Size
- Changes in Absolute Brain Size
- Constraints and Compromises
- Conclusions
Part 5: Evolutionary Changes In Brain Region Size
- Concerted versus Mosaic Evolution
- Concerted Evolution
- Mosaic Evolution
- Toward a Synthesis
- Functional Correlates of Brain Region Size
- The Principle of Proper Mass
- Absolute Size and Functional Capacity
- Proportional Size and Influence
- Relative Size and Adaptation
- Synthesis: The Avian Hippocampus
- Conclusions
Part 6: Evolutionary Changes In Brain Region Structure
- Homology and Novelty
- Phylogenetic Conversion: Lamination
- Phylogenetic Proliferation: Segregation
- Phylogenetic Proliferation: Addition
- Conclusions
Part 7: Evolution Of Neuronal Connectivity
- Epigenetic Population Matching and Cascades
- The Parcellation Hypothesis
- Connectional invasion and Its Consequences
- General Principles of Network Design
- Synthesis and Conclusions
Part 8: What's Special About Mammal Brains? Early Mammals and their Brains
- The Phylogenetic History of Neocortex
- Beyond the Neocortex
- Conclusion
Part 9: What's Special About Human Brains? Primate Behavior and Overall Brain Size
- Evolutionary Changes in Primate Brain Organization
- Hominin Behavior and Overall Brain Size
- Evolutionary Changes in Hominin Brain Organization
- Conclusions
Part 10: What's Special About Human Brains? Explanatory Strategies in Evolutionary Neuroscience
- Steps Toward Synthesis
- Absolute and Relative Brain Size
- Conclusion