Doctoral Dissertation Research: Social and ecological influences on brain anatomy

包括人类在内的灵长类动物的一些最具代表性的特征是他们的大大脑和复杂的社会制度。比较生活在不同社会组织中的灵长类物种的大脑结构--或神经解剖学--可以揭示大脑和社会性是如何相关的。以前对灵长类动物大脑进化的研究没有包括灵长类动物社会多样性的全部范围，这限制了可以从这些研究中得出的结论。这个博士论文研究项目结合了现有的神经解剖学和脑中激素受体分布的数据，这些数据来自研究得很好的哺乳动物物种，并从以前的研究中没有包括的物种中产生新的数据，以更好地了解这些特征与社会性的关系。除了与科学界共享数据和为K-12学生提供教育机会外，这项研究产生的结果还允许对本科生进行高级培训。荷尔蒙，如睾酮、雌二醇、催产素和加压素，作用于大脑，必须结合它们的受体才能对行为产生任何影响。在啮齿动物和一些灵长类动物中，这些激素受体在大脑中的分布与社会行为的差异有关；然而，之前对狐猴物种样本的研究表明，这些模式在所有哺乳动物物种中可能并不相同。该项目通过三个主要目标扩展了先前的工作：1)描述13种狐猴的神经解剖学特征，并将其与研究较好的哺乳动物物种，包括啮齿动物和其他灵长类动物的神经解剖学进行广泛比较；2)研究狐猴神经解剖学中的性别差异与雄激素和雌激素受体在雌性攻击中的表达和变化；以及3)探索催产素和加压素受体分布与社会纽带的关系。了解这些独特的灵长类物种的神经解剖学和神经内分泌与社会性的相关性，可以促进我们对灵长类大脑进化的了解，以及更广泛地了解大脑和社会行为之间的相互作用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Some of the most defining features of primates, including humans, are their large brains and complex social systems. Comparing brain structure – or neuroanatomy – across primate species that live in a wide variety of social organizations can suggest how the brain and sociality are related. Previous studies of primate brain evolution have not included the full extent of social diversity in primates, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn from them. This Doctoral Dissertation Research project combines existing data on neuroanatomy and hormone receptor distributions in the brain from well-studied mammal species and generates new data from species not previously included in prior studies, to better understand how these traits relate to sociality. Beyond sharing data with the scientific community and providing educational opportunities for K-12 students, generating the results from this study allows for advanced training of undergraduates.Hormones, such as testosterone, estradiol, oxytocin, and vasopressin act in the brain, and must bind their receptors to exert any effects on behavior. In rodents and some primates, the distributions of these hormone receptors in the brain are linked to differences in social behavior; however, previous work from a sample of lemur species shows that the patterns may not be the same across all mammalian species. This project expands prior work through three main objectives: 1) to characterize neuroanatomy in thirteen lemur species and broadly compare it to that of better-studied mammalian species, including rodents and other primates, 2) to investigate sex differences in lemur neuroanatomy in relation to androgen and estrogen receptor expression and variation in female aggression, and 3) to explore the relationship between oxytocin and vasopressin receptor distribution and social bonding. Understanding the neuroanatomical and neuroendocrine correlates of sociality in these unique primate species can advance our knowledge of primate brain evolution, and the interplay between the brain and social behavior more broadly.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.