Human Amygdala Volumetric Patterns Convergently Evolved in Cooperatively Breeding and Domesticated Species.

ABSTRACT: The amygdala is a hub in brain networks that supports social life and fear processing. Compared with other apes, humans have a relatively larger lateral nucleus of the amygdala, which is consistent with both the self-domestication and the cooperative breeding hypotheses of human evolution. Here, we take a comparative approach to the evolutionary origin of the relatively larger lateral amygdala nucleus in humans. We carry out phylogenetic analysis on a sample of 17 mammalian species for which we acquired single amygdala nuclei volumetric data. Our results indicate that there has been convergent evolution toward larger lateral amygdala nuclei in both domesticated and cooperatively breeding mammals. These results suggest that changes in processing fearful stimuli to reduce fear-induced aggres

SUBMITTER: Cerrito P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10543585 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature