Phenotypic Alterations in Cortical Organization and Connectivity across Different Time Scales

Abstract

In the following review, we describe the types of phenotypic changes to the neocortex that occur over the longer time scale of evolution, and over the shorter time scale of an individual lifetime. To understand how phenotypic variability emerges in the neocortex, it is important to consider the cortex as part of an integrated system of the brain, the body, the environment in which the brain and body develops and evolves, and the affordances available within a particular environmental context; changes in any part of this brain/body/environment network impact the neocortex. We provide data from comparative studies on a wide variety of mammals that demonstrate that body morphology, the sensory epithelium, and the use of a particular morphological structure have a profound impact on neocortical organization and connections. We then discuss the genetic and epigenetic factors that contribute to the development of the neocortex, as well as the role of spontaneous and sensory driven activity in constructing a nervous system. Although the evolution of the neocortex cannot be studied directly, studies in which developmental processes are experimentally manipulated provide important insights into how phenotypic transformations could occur over the course of evolution and demonstrate that relatively small alterations to the body and/or the environment in which an individual develops can manifest as large changes to the neocortex. Finally, we discuss how these phenotypic alterations to the neocortex impact an important target of selection – behavior.