On the other hand, interspecific comparisons show that modern humans display quantitatively and qualitatively different heat dissipation patterns to those of fossil hominid and non-human primates. Such models allow to quantify the contribution of the vascular system in cooling the endocranial volume according to its geometry. Results: Despite some minor differences, all modern humans show similar heat dissipation patterns along their endocranial cavity. The quantitative evaluation of the results is performed through the analysis of the distribution of the temperature values, while a qualitative description is provided by the generation of endocranial thermic maps, in living and extinct species. Then, numerical modeling is used to provide quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the heat distribution patterns within the endocranial cavity (Bruner et al., 2011). Methods: Three-dimensional digital reconstructions of the endocranial anatomy (endocasts) and the cerebral vessels are obtained through the segmentation of standard tomographic and angiotomographic data. Some comments about the heat dissipation patterns in modern humans, fossil hominids and non-human primates are provided. In order to look for morphological correlates of brain metabolism, this study introduces a novel approach to investigate the heat production/dissipation patterns associated to the brain gross morphology, and how these patterns are affected by the presence of the main endocranial vessels. Interestingly, it has also been proposed that a more developed cerebrovascular network may have evolved in modern humans (Bruner and Sherkat, 2008). In this context, the cerebrovascular system has been proposed to play a relevant role in brain thermoregulation. Considering that brain function is highly influenced by changes in temperature, in the way that slight temperature variations may produce irreversible brain damage or even cause death, the removal of heat produced by neural metabolic activity is a relevant issue for understanding the development and evolution of the human brain (Caputa, 2004). Objectives: Compared with non-human primates, the human brain is characterized by a clear increment in its size, and by a considerable increment of its metabolic costs (Leonard and Robertson, 1992).
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