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Landmarking Brains

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Digital Endocasts

Part of the book series: Replacement of Neanderthals by Modern Humans Series ((RNMH))

Abstract

Geometric morphometric techniques are extensively used in paleontology and evolutionary biology to describe and quantify shape variation. These approaches, however, are rarely used in neuroscience. Approaches emphasizing qualitative anatomical description and volumetric measurements of brain structures dominate evolutionary neuroscience, whereas automated computing-intensive approaches are the norm in the field of human neuroimaging. Such approaches often are not compatible with formal quantitative assessments of brain evolution (anatomical descriptions), overlook fundamental aspects of shape variation (volumetric measurements), or involve intensive processing of neuroimaging scans, which can complicate straightforward neurobiological interpretation of results. Here we review how geometric morphometrics can provide a useful toolkit to analyze brain variation in a comparative and evolutionary context. We suggest different methodological alternatives within geometric morphometrics, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages. We also discuss how strengths of automated neuroimaging techniques can be combined with geometric morphometric analytical tools.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Emiliano Bruner, Naomichi Ogihara, and Hiroki Tanabe for their invitation to contribute to this volume.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower St., London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    Aida Gómez-Robles

  2. Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, 800 22nd St NW, Washington, DC, 20052, USA

    Aida Gómez-Robles, Laura D. Reyes & Chet C. Sherwood

Authors
  1. Aida Gómez-Robles
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  2. Laura D. Reyes
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  3. Chet C. Sherwood
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aida Gómez-Robles .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CENIEH, Burgos, Spain

    Emiliano Bruner

  2. Keio University, Yokohama, Japan

    Naomichi Ogihara

  3. Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

    Hiroki C. Tanabe

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Gómez-Robles, A., Reyes, L.D., Sherwood, C.C. (2018). Landmarking Brains. In: Bruner, E., Ogihara, N., Tanabe, H. (eds) Digital Endocasts. Replacement of Neanderthals by Modern Humans Series. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56582-6_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56582-6_8

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  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-56582-6

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