Meeting Abstract

P2.187  Saturday, Jan. 5  The Puddling Claustrum JOHNSON, J/I*; FENSKE, B/A; BUCHANAN, K/J; YALAMARTHY, A/S; Michigan State University; Michigan State University; Michigan State University; Michigan State University johnij@aol.com

The claustrum is so named for its appearance as a thin layer of cells narrowly enclosed between the corpus striatum and the overlying insular cortex. However, in comparative study of a diversity of mammalian species we found a good portion of the claustrum forming “puddles” of tissue that appear to be spilling out from the enclosed claustral lamina in various locations. In the domestic pig, a huge egg-shaped mass projects out from the posterior edge of the lamina. In carnivores, a large pyramidal shaped mass of claustrum pours out the top of the lamina. In primates (humans included), a large globular puddle protrudes anterior and inferior from the lamina. We propose that claustral morphology depends on available space in the developing brain which leads to different “puddles” of claustrum pouring out from the lamina in different places in different mammalian species. These distinctive developments warrant further study as to possible correlations with distinctive behavioral specializations of mammalian phyla.