• Issue

    Journal of Anatomy: Volume 241, Issue 1

    i-iii, 1-194
    July 2022

ISSUE COVER

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Issue Cover (July 2022)

  • Pages: i
  • First Published: 08 June 2022
Issue Cover (July 2022)

Front cover:

Cover image by Ayman Alzu'bi: Localisation of Sonic Hedgehog mRNA expression by RNAScope in situ hybridisation on a sagittal section of a Carnegie stage 23/8 post-conceptional week human embryo close to the midline. See G. Clowry and colleagues, ‘Tyramide signal amplification coupled with multiple immunolabeling and RNAScope in situ hybridization in formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded human fetal brain’, this issue.

ISSUE INFORMATION

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Issue Information

  • Pages: ii-iii
  • First Published: 08 June 2022

ORIGINAL PAPERS

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Morphological correspondence between brain and endocranial surfaces in mice exposed to undernutrition during development

  • Pages: 1-12
  • First Published: 07 February 2022
Morphological correspondence between brain and endocranial surfaces in mice exposed to undernutrition during development

Size and shape variation was studied in brain and endocranial surfaces of mice exposed to different diets with the purpose to determine the effect of early nutrient restriction on morphological correspondence between both structures. 3D reconstructions were obtained from micro-computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Results suggest that morphological variation and association between the brain and the endocast is modulated by maternal nutrient intake.

Open Access

Utility of a flexed neck sagittal magentic resonance imaging sequence for the assessment of cerebellomedullary cistern in dogs

  • Pages: 13-19
  • First Published: 09 February 2022
Utility of a flexed neck sagittal magentic resonance imaging sequence for the assessment of cerebellomedullary cistern in dogs

A morphologic study of the cisterna magna in dogs was performed, demonstrating the usefulness of a flexed-neck MRI sequence for the assessment of the cisterna magna and planning of cerebrospinal fluid sampling from the cerebellomedulalry cistern.

REVIEW ARTICLE

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Von Economo neurons: Cellular specialization of human limbic cortices?

  • Pages: 20-32
  • First Published: 17 February 2022
Von Economo neurons: Cellular specialization of human limbic cortices?

VENs are present in the limbic sectors of the human frontal and insular lobes. VENs density decreases in the caudo-rostral and ventro-dorsal directions. VENs could participate in autonomous responses and executive functions.

METHODS

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Tyramide signal amplification coupled with multiple immunolabeling and RNAScope in situ hybridization in formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded human fetal brain

  • Pages: 33-41
  • First Published: 27 February 2022
Tyramide signal amplification coupled with multiple immunolabeling and RNAScope in situ hybridization in formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded human fetal brain

RNAscope can be combined with immunofluorescence in precious human fetal brain sections to reveal information about localization of transcription factor expression. ZIC4 and PAX6 occupy separate domains across the forebrain, whereas ZIC4 and FOXP2 show clear co-localization in the dorsal thalamus.

ORIGINAL PAPERS

Open Access

Comprehensive expression analysis for the core cell cycle regulators in the chicken embryo reveals novel tissue-specific synexpression groups and similarities and differences with expression in mouse, frog and zebrafish

  • Pages: 42-66
  • First Published: 10 February 2022
Comprehensive expression analysis for the core cell cycle regulators in the chicken embryo reveals novel tissue-specific synexpression groups and similarities and differences with expression in mouse, frog and zebrafish

Coordinated cell division is important for embryonic development and for the adult body to work correctly; deregulated cell division causes diseases such as cancer. This study comprehensively investigated the expression of cell cycle control genes in the chicken embryo. Novel tissue expression domains and sites of subcellular transcript accumulation were found. Moreover, unexpected differences between mouse, chicken, frog and zebrafish came to light, suggesting that care has to be taken when extrapolating from one model organism to another and to humans.

Open Access

Growth and development of trabecular structure in the calcaneus of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) reflects locomotor behavior, life history, and neuromuscular development

  • Pages: 67-81
  • First Published: 17 February 2022
Growth and development of trabecular structure in the calcaneus of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) reflects locomotor behavior, life history, and neuromuscular development

Age-related variation in trabecular bone structure of Japanese macaques is shaped by locomotor development, which, in turn, is shaped by interactions between neural circuits that develop in parallel to body size. These findings can be used to reconstruct locomotor ontogeny, neuromuscular maturation, and aspects of life history in fossil mammals.

Open Access

Ontogenetic changes to metacarpal trabecular bone structure in mountain and western lowland gorillas

  • Pages: 82-100
  • First Published: 04 February 2022
Ontogenetic changes to metacarpal trabecular bone structure in mountain and western lowland gorillas

This study investigates the ontogenetic changes in trabecular structure in western lowland and mountain gorilla third metacarpals and how these changes may reflect locomotor behaviour throughout development. We found that metacarpal trabecular structure reflects a higher frequency of grasping in early ontogeny and a shift to predominant knuckle walking locomotion in later ontogeny, but with an 'adaptive lag' between adult-like behaviour and adult-like trabecular structure that should be considered when analysing juvenile or young adult fossil specimens.

Open Access

A proposed standard for quantifying 3-D hindlimb joint poses in living and extinct archosaurs

  • Pages: 101-118
  • First Published: 03 February 2022
A proposed standard for quantifying 3-D hindlimb joint poses in living and extinct archosaurs

We propose a standard approach for measuring the relative position and orientation of the major segments of the archosaur pelvis and hindlimb in 3-D. A set of shared conventions for describing pose and kinematics is essential for fostering comparison among species and for maximizing communication. We describe the construction of anatomical and joint coordinate systems using the extant guineafowl and alligator as examples and then apply our new standards to three extinct archosaurs.

Free Access

Muscular anatomy of the forelimb of tiger (Panthera tigris)

  • Pages: 119-144
  • First Published: 02 February 2022
Muscular anatomy of the forelimb of tiger (Panthera tigris)

We describe the muscular anatomy of the tiger forelimb, and compare muscle origins, insertions, and relative muscle masses to other felids. Our results reiterate the conservative nature of felid anatomy across body sizes and behavioral categories. We find several differences in regional muscle mass between the two felid subfamilies, Pantherinae and Felinae, and identify modifications of tiger musculature that may reflect an adaptation to terrestrial locomotion and a preference for large prey.

Open Access

How does bone microanatomy and musculature covary? An investigation in the forelimb of two species of martens (Martes foina, Martes martes)

  • Pages: 145-167
  • First Published: 09 March 2022
How does bone microanatomy and musculature covary? An investigation in the forelimb of two species of martens (Martes foina, Martes martes)

Species-specific muscular adaptations are not reflected in the bone microanatomy. Yet we observe a thickening of the bone cortex in the zeugopod of the more arboreal pine marten, as well as a muscular difference in the elbow of the two species, that we attribute to their different locomotor modes. We find a qualitative link between cortical thickness repartition and muscle strength in the humerus while it appears rather linked to bone contact zones and ligament insertions in the radius and ulna.

Open Access

Aponeurosis linguae—Myocutaneous or myotendinous junctions of skeletal muscle fibres in the human tongue?

  • Pages: 168-172
  • First Published: 08 February 2022
Aponeurosis linguae—Myocutaneous or myotendinous junctions of skeletal muscle fibres in the human tongue?

The superficial tissue of the human tongue shows three distinct regions: 1. As seen in the figure, the central region shows a thick aponeurosis linguae and myo-tendinous insertions of the muscle fibers. 2. The lateral region showed a reduced aponeurosis and no muscle insertions. 3. The edge-wise and lower region showed no aponeurosis but myo-cutaneous junctions.

Open Access

Anatomy of the heart with the highest heart rate

  • Pages: 173-190
  • First Published: 06 February 2022
Anatomy of the heart with the highest heart rate

Chang et al. investigate the hearts of shrews, the mammals with the greatest heart rate. Mostly, the hearts have the expected anatomical traits, but the extent of the myocardium in the pulmonary veins is more extreme than in any other mammal.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Correspondence: A combination of sectional micro-anatomy and micro-stereoscopic anatomy is an improved micro-dissection method

  • Pages: 191-192
  • First Published: 06 February 2022
Correspondence: A combination of sectional micro-anatomy and micro-stereoscopic anatomy is an improved micro-dissection method

It is easy to make errors in estimating the exact size and positioning of neural structures, especially when only using tomographic methods, as a lot of imagination and little precision is required. We found that combining the use of sectional micro-anatomy and micro-stereoscopic anatomy is much more accurate. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because we believe that using improved methods to examine the neural structure is vital in future research on the micro-stereoscopic anatomy of the brain.

BOOK REVIEW