Leao Delva P, Duque Alvaro, Dietrich Marcelo O
Laboratory of Physiology of Behavior, Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences-Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Front Mamm Sci. 2024;3. doi: 10.3389/fmamm.2024.1450655. Epub 2024 Sep 2.
The human brain is the foundation of our identity as a species and as individuals. It is where our unique sensations, emotions, and thoughts arise. The same way no two individuals are alike, no two brains are identical. Understanding the expression of inter-individual differences in brain and behavior and their underlying biological mechanisms can profoundly influence neuroscience and the science of individuality. Here, we argue that the nine-banded armadillo is a unique organism for the study of how inter-individual differences are expressed in the mammalian brain. Our argument is based on the fascinating reproductive biology of armadillos, the only known mammals that always generate offspring that are genetic clones, and on how this characteristic can help understand the complex interplay between genetic, environmental, and stochastic factors in the biology of individuality. We will first review the sources of variance in brain-related traits and behavior, then the biology of armadillos, and finally how they can aid in understanding the origins of variance in brain structure and function. Finally, we will provide an overview of the type of studies that can be performed using armadillos and how these studies can advance the science of individuality.
人类大脑是我们作为一个物种以及作为个体的身份基础。我们独特的感觉、情感和思想都源于此。就如同没有两个人是完全一样的，也没有两个大脑是完全相同的。理解大脑和行为中个体差异的表现及其潜在的生物学机制，会对神经科学和个体科学产生深远影响。在此，我们认为九带犰狳是研究个体差异如何在哺乳动物大脑中表现的独特生物体。我们的观点基于犰狳引人入胜的生殖生物学，它们是唯一已知总是产生基因克隆后代的哺乳动物，以及这一特性如何有助于理解个体生物学中基因、环境和随机因素之间的复杂相互作用。我们将首先回顾与大脑相关的性状和行为的变异来源，然后介绍犰狳的生物学特性，最后阐述它们如何有助于理解大脑结构和功能变异的起源。最后，我们将概述使用犰狳可以进行的研究类型，以及这些研究如何推动个体科学的发展。
