Nieuwenhuys R
Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Eur J Morphol. 1994 Aug;32(2-4):142-55.
In this paper an outline is presented of the foundations of comparative neuroanatomy. The significance of topology (i.e. the geometry of distortion) for an accurate analysis of the kinds of morphological transformations to which central nervous systems are subjected is emphasized. The major tasks of comparative neuroanatomy are: (1) to sample the variation existing in the central nervous systems on the basis of an analysis of a multitude of carefully selected species; (2) to place the patterns of variation found, wherever possible, in an phylogenetic context; (3) to relate the morphological data and relations determined, to their putative biological (functional, behavioural) significance, and (4) to reflect on the question of which specific factors and processes might have caused the changes through which the brains of organisms have passed, and to develop explanatory scenarios.
本文概述了比较神经解剖学的基础。强调了拓扑学（即变形几何学）对于准确分析中枢神经系统所经历的各种形态转变的重要性。比较神经解剖学的主要任务是：（1）在对大量精心挑选的物种进行分析的基础上，对中枢神经系统中存在的变异进行抽样；（2）尽可能将所发现的变异模式置于系统发育背景中；（3）将所确定的形态学数据和关系与其假定的生物学（功能、行为）意义联系起来；以及（4）思考哪些特定因素和过程可能导致了生物体大脑所经历的变化，并制定解释性方案。
