Long perceived as a primitive and poorly differentiated brain structure, the primate insular
cortex recently emerged as a highly evolved, organized and richly connected cortical hub …

Highlights•Cetacean possess advanced vocal learning skills.•Baleen whales use vocal
learning in the development of their song displays.•Toothed whales use learned signals in …

Von Economo neurons (VENs) are projection neurons located in layer V of the anterior
cingulate and frontoinsular cortex that are increasingly attracting the interest of the scientific …

Cognitive abilities of the human brain, including language, have expanded dramatically in
the course of our recent evolution from nonhuman primates, despite only minor apparent …

There is a basic rule to mammalian neocortical expansion: as it expands, so does it fold. The
degree to which it folds, however, cannot strictly be attributed to its expansion. Across …

Studies in comparative neuroanatomy and of the fossil record demonstrate the influence of
socio-ecological niches on the morphology of the cerebral cortex, but have led to oftentimes …

Cetaceans rival primates in brain size relative to body size and include species with the
largest brains and biggest bodies to have ever evolved. Cetaceans are remarkably diverse …

Human evolution was marked by an extraordinary increase in total brain size relative to
body size. While it is certain that increased encephalization is an important factor …

Cetaceans (dolphins and whales) have undergone a radical transformation from the original
mammalian bodyplan. In addition, some cetaceans have evolved large brains and complex …

Gyrencephaly (the folding of the surface of the neocortex) is a mammalian-specific trait
present in almost all mammalian orders. Despite the widespread appearance of the trait …