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Scaling laws in the mammalian neocortex: Does form provide clues to function?

Journal of Neurocytology volume 31, pages 289–298 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Although descriptions of form have been a mainstay of comparative neuroanatomy, less well explored is the use of quantitative approaches, especially at the cellular level. In the neocortex, many gross and cellular anatomical measures show striking regularities over a wide range of brain sizes. Here we review our recent efforts to accurately characterize these scaling trends and explain them in functional terms. We focus on the expansion of white matter volume with increasing brain size and the formation of surface folds, in addition to principles of processing speed and energetics that may explain these phenomena. We also consider exceptional cases of neocortical morphology as a means of testing putative functional principles and developmental mechanisms. We illustrate this point by describing several morphological specializations at the cellular level that may constitute functional adaptations. Taken together, these approaches illustrate the benefits of a synthesis between comparative neuroanatomy and biophysics.

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  1. Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544

    Kimberly H. Harrison & Samuel S.-H. Wang

  2. Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology, Kastor Neurobiology of Aging Laboratories, and Advanced Imaging Program, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Patrick R. Hof

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Harrison, K.H., Hof, P.R. & Wang, S.SH. Scaling laws in the mammalian neocortex: Does form provide clues to function?. J Neurocytol 31, 289–298 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024178127195

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Keywords

  • White Matter
  • Cellular Level
  • Processing Speed
  • Quantitative Approach
  • Exceptional Case