Doctoral Dissertation Improvement : Comparative Analysis of Two Anterior Neural Substrates of Language

参与语言产生的主要脑区包括额下回和前额叶。迄今为止，对人类这些区域的神经解剖学研究很少，涉及多个物种的研究更少。关于人类及其近亲的其他神经解剖学数据将增强我们对人类进化过程中认知和语言变化的科学理解。同样，更多的跨物种数据将加强现有的辩论可能在灵长类动物物种之间的认知能力的差异。本研究将分析多个灵长类物种，包括人类，黑猩猩和猕猴的额下回和前额叶的微观结构和宏观结构水平。这项研究的数据不仅有助于理解人类和灵长类动物的进化，还有助于理解语言在人类大脑中的组织方式。更好地理解语言组织可以帮助研究和治疗口吃等言语疾病。此外，来自其他物种（如猿）的数据将有助于解释人类成像研究和猕猴实验研究的结果。拟议项目的一个关键组成部分是培训共同首席研究员掌握神经解剖学研究中重要的各种技术（包括体视学、神经化学和磁共振成像）。这种学习和培训将在美国和德国选定的实验室进行，这些实验室以前曾分析过个别物种的一些感兴趣区域。这些活动不仅将有助于培训共同首席研究员，而且还将有助于加强目前正在研究灵长类动物大脑进化问题的几个实验室之间的合作网络和伙伴关系。

The principal brain regions involved in language production include the inferior frontal gyrus and the anterior insula. To date, there have been few neuroanatomical investigations of these regions in humans and even fewer studies involving multiple species. Additional neuroanatomical data on humans and their closest relatives would enhance our scientific understanding of changes in cognition and language throughout human evolution. Similarly, additional cross-species data would enhance existing debates concerning possible differences in cognitive capabilities among primate species. This study will analyze the inferior frontal gyrus and the anterior insula at microstructural and macrostructural levels in multiple primate species, including humans, chimpanzees and macaques. The data from this study will not only contribute to the understanding of human and primate evolution, but will also facilitate an understanding of how language is organized in the human brain. Greater understanding of language organization can aid in the study and treatment of speech pathologies such as stuttering. Furthermore, the data from additional species, such as the apes, will facilitate the interpretation of findings from human imaging studies and those from experimental studies of macaques. A key component of the proposed project is the training of the co-principal investigator in a variety of techniques (including stereology, neurochemistry and magnetic resonance imaging) that are important in the study of neuroanatomy. This learning and training will take place in selected laboratories in the United States and Germany that have previously analyzed some of the regions of interest in individual species. These activities will not only serve to train the co-principal investigator, but will also serve to enhance collaborative networks and partnerships among several laboratories currently working on issues relating to primate brain evolution.