# An evolutionary view on the developing prefrontal cortex connectome and its psychopathological networks: Tract tracing and imaging studies linking two distant anthropoid species

## TL;DR

This study compares brain connectivity in humans and marmosets to understand how the prefrontal cortex evolved and how it relates to mental disorders like depression and OCD.

## Contribution

The study bridges evolutionary neuroscience and psychopathology by comparing human and marmoset prefrontal cortex connectivity using DTI and viral tract tracing.

## Key findings

- DTI-FT and AAVaTT revealed interspecies differences in prefrontal cortex connectivity.
- Findings suggest evolutionary adaptations in PFC networks may influence vulnerability to MDD and OCD.
- Comparative models highlight conserved and divergent cortico-subcortical pathways between species.

## Abstract

The brain has evolved multiple times across evolution; the human prefrontal cortex (PFC) represents its latest developmental addition. Evolution has led to similarities in brain design across species and comparable solutions can be found in different species. The common marmoset shares ancestry with the human primate and serves as a useful model for human PFC build. Previous research approaches on major depressive disorder (MDD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have led to the definition of psychopathological sub-networks including their cortico-subcortical connections. Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging fiber tracking (DTI-FT) is used in humans as a non-invasive substitute for invasive viral tract tracing (AAVaTT) technologies applied in non-human primates. We here compare DTI-FT (N = 1000) and AAVaTT (n = 52) in humans and marmosets, respectively, to reveal interspecies anatomical and functional distinctions of PFC connectivity models and putative effects on dysfunctional networks relevant for MDD and OCD.