Trends Cogn Sci. 2014 Jan;18(1):46-55. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2013.09.013.
Comparative neuroimaging can identify unique features of the human brain and teach us about human brain evolution. Comparisons with chimpanzees, our closest living primate relative, are critical in this endeavor. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to compare brain size development, brain structure proportions and brain aging. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been used to compare resting brain glucose metabolism. Functional MRI (fMRI) has been used to compare auditory and visual system pathways, as well as resting-state networks of connectivity. Finally, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been used to compare structural connectivity. Collectively, these methods have revealed human brain specializations with respect to development, cortical organization, connectivity, and aging. These findings inform our knowledge of the evolutionary changes responsible for the special features of the modern human mind.
比较神经影像学可以识别人类大脑的独特特征，并帮助我们了解人类大脑的进化。在这项研究中，与我们最亲近的灵长类动物——黑猩猩进行比较至关重要。结构磁共振成像（MRI）已被用于比较大脑大小的发育、大脑结构比例和大脑老化。正电子发射断层扫描（PET）成像已被用于比较静息状态下的大脑葡萄糖代谢。功能磁共振成像（fMRI）已被用于比较听觉和视觉系统通路以及静息状态下的连接网络。最后，弥散加权成像（DWI）已被用于比较结构连接。总的来说，这些方法揭示了人类大脑在发育、皮质组织、连接和老化方面的专门化。这些发现为我们了解现代人类大脑特殊特征所涉及的进化变化提供了信息。
