Quantitative MRI of the Anterior Commissure and comparative sequence analysis of the TBR1 gene in the Canidae
Description
The Canidae is a diverse mammalian Family comprising some 35 ‘dog like’ species. As a group, the Canidae have received increasing attention in the last number of years as comparative studies have uncovered species specific differences in neuromorphology. However, little is known about variation in the comparative morphology of the anterior commissure, a significant interhemispheric fiber pathway known for its connections with the olfactory system as well as temporal lobe. Given the central role of the anterior commissure in connecting olfactory and limbic regions, the following study was aimed at quantitatively comparing commissure size across a range of canid species. Using MRI scan data obtained from nine postmortem adult canid species (coyote, European wolf, red fox, fennec fox, dingo, domestic dog, bush dog, African wild dog, Maned wolf), we reconstructed the anterior division of the anterior commissure and evaluated its scaling relationships with brain size. We also collated mRNA sequence data for the TBR1 gene (associated with commissure development and volumetry) and evaluated this using multiple gene alignment techniques. Our results revealed that the size of the anterior commissure was positively correlated with brain size, however we did not observe any notable differences in TBR1 sequence data in the Canidae. In conclusion, this study indicates a general conservation in the volumetry of the anterior portion of the anterior commissure. Future studies will incorporate histological and volumetric comparisons of the posterior division of this pathway and its projections to the amygdala.
Citation Information
Vustepalli, Anirudh, "Quantitative MRI of the Anterior Commissure and comparative sequence analysis of the TBR1 gene in the Canidae" (2026). Office of Research DMU Research Symposium. 110.
https://digitalcommons.dmu.edu/researchsymposium/2025rs/2025abstracts/110
Quantitative MRI of the Anterior Commissure and comparative sequence analysis of the TBR1 gene in the Canidae
The Canidae is a diverse mammalian Family comprising some 35 ‘dog like’ species. As a group, the Canidae have received increasing attention in the last number of years as comparative studies have uncovered species specific differences in neuromorphology. However, little is known about variation in the comparative morphology of the anterior commissure, a significant interhemispheric fiber pathway known for its connections with the olfactory system as well as temporal lobe. Given the central role of the anterior commissure in connecting olfactory and limbic regions, the following study was aimed at quantitatively comparing commissure size across a range of canid species. Using MRI scan data obtained from nine postmortem adult canid species (coyote, European wolf, red fox, fennec fox, dingo, domestic dog, bush dog, African wild dog, Maned wolf), we reconstructed the anterior division of the anterior commissure and evaluated its scaling relationships with brain size. We also collated mRNA sequence data for the TBR1 gene (associated with commissure development and volumetry) and evaluated this using multiple gene alignment techniques. Our results revealed that the size of the anterior commissure was positively correlated with brain size, however we did not observe any notable differences in TBR1 sequence data in the Canidae. In conclusion, this study indicates a general conservation in the volumetry of the anterior portion of the anterior commissure. Future studies will incorporate histological and volumetric comparisons of the posterior division of this pathway and its projections to the amygdala.
