Large-scale comparative neuroimaging: Where are we and what do we need?

Abstract

Neuroimaging has a lot to offer comparative neuroscience. Although invasive "gold standard" techniques have a better spatial resolution, neuroimaging allows fast, whole-brain, repeatable, and multi-modal measurements of structure and function in living animals and post-mortem tissue. In the past years, comparative neuroimaging has increased in popularity. However, we argue that its most significant potential lies in its ability to collect large-scale datasets of many species to investigate principles of variability in brain organisation across whole orders of species-an ambition that is presently unfulfilled but achievable. We briefly review the current state of the field and explore what the current obstacles to such an approach are. We propose some calls to action.

Keywords: Comparative neuroscience; Connectivity; Macaque; Neuroimaging; Primate.

Fig. 1

Comparing white matter connections across primates shed lights on brain evolution. Numbers on the right indicate millions of years that separate species from their common ancestor (blue dots). White matter connections are colour-coded in green for anteroposterior, red for medial-lateral and blue for ventral-dorsal.