@article {306797,
	title = {Evidence for expansion of the precuneus in human evolution.},
	journal = {Brain Struct Funct},
	year = {2016},
	month = {Jan 2},
	abstract = {<p>The evolution of neurocranial morphology in Homo sapiens is characterized by bulging of the parietal region, a feature unique to our species. In modern humans, expansion of the parietal surface occurs during the first year of life, in a morphogenetic stage which is absent in chimpanzees and Neandertals. A similar variation in brain shape among living adult humans is associated with expansion of the precuneus. Using MRI-derived structural brain templates, we compare medial brain morphology between humans and chimpanzees through shape analysis and geometrical modeling. We find that the main spatial difference is a prominent expansion of the precuneus in our species, providing further evidence of evolutionary changes associated with this area. The precuneus is a major hub of brain organization, a central node of the default-mode network, and plays an essential role in visuospatial integration. Together, the comparative neuroanatomical and paleontological evidence suggest that precuneus expansion is a neurological specialization of H. sapiens that evolved in the last 150,000\&nbsp;years that may be associated with recent human cognitive specializations.</p>
},
	isbn = {1863-2653},
	doi = {10.​1007/​s00429-015-1172-y},
	url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/26725108},
	author = {Bruner, E and Preuss, TM and Chen, X and Rilling, JK}
}
