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Volume of the crocodilian brain and endocast during ontogeny
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SYSNO ASEP 0475786 Document Type J - Journal Article R&D Document Type Journal Article Subsidiary J Článek ve WOS Title Volume of the crocodilian brain and endocast during ontogeny Author(s) Jirák, D. (CZ)
Janáček, Jiří (FGU-C) RID, ORCIDArticle number e0178491 Source Title PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science - ISSN 1932-6203
Roč. 12, č. 6 (2017)Number of pages 10 s. Language eng - English Country US - United States Keywords brain volume ; endoneurocranium ; crocodilians ; magnetic resonance imaging Subject RIV EA - Cell Biology OECD category Developmental biology R&D Projects GAP302/12/1207 GA ČR - Czech Science Foundation (CSF) GA13-12412S GA ČR - Czech Science Foundation (CSF) Institutional support FGU-C - RVO:67985823 UT WOS 000403280900018 EID SCOPUS 85020923940 DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0178491 Annotation Understanding complex situations and planning difficult actions require a brain of appropriate size. Animal encephalisation provides an indirect information about these abilities. The brain is entirely composed of soft tissue and, as such, rarely fossilises. As a consequence, the brain proportions and morphology of some extinct vertebrates are usually only inferred from their neurocranial endocasts. However, because the morphological configuration of the brain is not fully reflected in the endocast, knowledge of the brain/endocast relationship is essential (especially the ratio of brain volume to endocast volume or the equivalent proportion of interstitial tissue) for studying the endocasts of extinct animals. Here we assess the encephalic volume and structure of modern crocodilians. The results we obtained using ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging reveal how the endoneurocranial cavity and brain compartments of crocodilians change configuration during ontogeny. We conclude that the endocasts of adult crocodilians are elongated and expanded while their brains are more linearly organised. The highest proportion of brain tissue to endocast volume is in the prosencephalon at over 50% in all but the largest animals, whereas the proportion in other brain segments is under 50% in all but the smallest animals and embryos. Our results may enrich the field of palaeontological study by offering more precise phylogenetic interpretations of the neuroanatomic characteristics of extinct vertebrates at various ontogenetic stages. Workplace Institute of Physiology Contact Lucie Trajhanová, lucie.trajhanova@fgu.cas.cz, Tel.: 241 062 400 Year of Publishing 2018
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