Asymmetries of Cerebellar Lobe in the Genus Homo

The endocast was paid great attention in the study of human brain evolution. However, compared to that of the cerebrum, the cerebellar lobe is poorly studied regarding its morphology, function, and evolutionary changes in the process of human evolution. In this study, we define the major axis and fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSymmetry (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 6; p. 988
Main Authors Zhang, Yameng, Wu, Xiujie
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.06.2021
Subjects
Asymmetry
cerebellar lobe
Cerebellum
Cerebrum
cognitive increase
Evolution
evolutionary changes
Hominids
Homo
Horizontal orientation
Medical imaging
Morphology
Sinuses
Social factors
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Summary:The endocast was paid great attention in the study of human brain evolution. However, compared to that of the cerebrum, the cerebellar lobe is poorly studied regarding its morphology, function, and evolutionary changes in the process of human evolution. In this study, we define the major axis and four measurements to inspect possible asymmetric patterns within the genus Homo. Results show that significant asymmetry is only observed for the cerebellar length in modern humans and is absent in Homo erectus and Neanderthals. The influence of occipital petalia is obscure due to the small sample size for H. erectus and Neanderthals, while it has a significant influence over the asymmetries of cerebellar height and horizontal orientation in modern humans. Although the length and height of the Neanderthal cerebellum are comparable to that of modern humans, its sagittal orientation is closer to that of H. erectus, which is wider than that of modern humans. The cerebellar morphological difference between Neanderthals and modern humans is suggested to be related to high cognitive activities, such as social factors and language ability.
ISSN:2073-8994
2073-8994
DOI:10.3390/sym13060988