ArticleBrain structure & function2018
Profound seasonal changes in brain size and architecture in the common shrew.
Article in Brain structure & function, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed.
- Brain condition may mediate the association between training and work engagement.Scientific reports · 2020Trial
- Exploring Larval Axolotl Brain Development: Insights Into Developmental and Functional Constraints.Evolution & development · 2026Article
- Genomic comparisons and the adaptive basis of brain size plasticity and chromosomal instability in the Eurasian common shrew.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Effects of seasonal factors on brain function: Systematic review and future perspectives.iScience · 2025Article
- Invariant HVC size in female canaries singing under testosterone: Unlocking function through neural differentiation, not growth.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Homing and feral pigeons differ in hippocampal formation neuron size: a Golgi study.Brain structure & function · 2025Article
- Seasonal and comparative evidence of adaptive gene expression in mammalian brain size plasticity.eLife · 2025Article
- Illuminating the Shadows of Neuroscience: How Curiosity and Courage Redefine Research Models and Mentorship.eNeuro · 2025Article
- Captivity alters behaviour but not seasonal brain size change in semi-naturally housed shrews.Royal Society open science · 2025Article
- Gene expression comparisons between captive and wild shrew brains reveal captivity effects.Biology letters · 2025Article
- Comparative Genomics of the World's Smallest Mammals Reveals Links to Echolocation, Metabolism, and Body Size Plasticity.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Does the expensive brain hypothesis apply to amphibians and reptiles?BMC ecology and evolution · 2023Article
- Induction of kidney-related gene programs through co-option of SALL1 in mole ovotestes.Development (Cambridge, England) · 2023Article
- Domestication effect of reduced brain size is reverted when mink become feral.Royal Society open science · 2023Article
- Day-night and seasonal variation of human gene expression across tissues.PLoS biology · 2023Article
- Histological and MRI brain atlas of the common shrew,Frontiers in neuroanatomy · 2023Article
- The Curious Case of the Naked Mole-Rat: How Extreme Social and Reproductive Adaptations Might Influence Sex Differences in the Brain.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2023Article
- Seasonal differences in the morphology and spine density of hippocampal neurons in wild ground squirrels.Brain structure & function · 2022Article
- Seasonal variations of serotonin in the visual system of an ant revealed by immunofluorescence and a machine learning approach.Royal Society open science · 2022Article
- Day-night and seasonal variation of human gene expression across tissues.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The seasonal changes in brain size of some shrews represent the most drastic reversible transformation in the mammalian central nervous system known to date. Brain mass decreases 10-26% from summer to winter and regrows 9-16% in spring, but the underlying structural changes at the cellular level are not yet understood. Here, we describe the volumetric differences in brain structures between seasons and sexes of the common shrew (Sorex araneus) in detail, confirming that changes in different brain regions vary in the magnitude of change. Notably, shrews show a decrease in hypothalamus, thalamus, and hippocampal volume and later regrowth in spring, whereas neocortex and striatum volumes decrease in winter and do not recover in size. For some regions, males and females showed different patterns of seasonal change from each other. We also analyzed the underlying changes in neuron morphology. We observed a general decrease in soma size and total dendrite volume in the caudoputamen and anterior cingulate cortex. This neuronal retraction may partially explain the overall tissue shrinkage in winter. While not sufficient to explain the entire seasonal process, it represents a first step toward understanding the mechanisms beneath this remarkable phenomenon.
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