英国纽卡斯尔大学医学院Christopher I. Petkov、Benjamin Wilson和Fabien Balezeau研究团队，揭示了弓状束是进化中灵长类听觉的原型。2020年4月20日，《自然—神经科学》发表了这项成果。

利用猴子、猿和人类听觉功能领域和弥散加权MRI，研究人员确定了弓状束起源于听觉皮层的同源途径。这一发现为弓状束建立了灵长类听觉原型，并揭示了较早的系统发育起源以及阐明了其显著的转变。

研究人员表示，人弓状束通路对于语言至关重要，其将颞后部和额叶下部相互连接。在猴子中是否存在其同系物备受争议，并且尚不清楚其在人类中特殊专有化的功能。

附：英文原文

Title: Primate auditory prototype in the evolution of the arcuate fasciculus

Author: Fabien Balezeau, Benjamin Wilson, Guillermo Gallardo, Fred Dick, William Hopkins, Alfred Anwander, Angela D. Friederici, Timothy D. Griffiths, Christopher I. Petkov

Issue&Volume: 2020-04-20

Abstract: The human arcuate fasciculus pathway is crucial for language, interconnecting posterior temporal and inferior frontal areas. Whether a monkey homolog exists is controversial and the nature of human-specific specialization unclear. Using monkey, ape and human auditory functional fields and diffusion-weighted MRI, we identified homologous pathways originating from the auditory cortex. This discovery establishes a primate auditory prototype for the arcuate fasciculus, reveals an earlier phylogenetic origin and illuminates its remarkable transformation.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-0623-9

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-0623-9