The Miniature Brain: Anatomical Description and Comparison between miniaturized anurans

• Grant number: 26/00053-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: October 01, 2026
• End date: September 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Anatomy
• Principal Investigator: Luis Felipe de Toledo Ramos Pereira
• Grantee: Andres Santiago Carrasco Medina
• Supervisor: Mark David Scherz
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/16747-0 - COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CARDIORESPIRATORY SYSTEM IN ANURANS, BP.DR

Abstract

Anurans of the genus Brachycephalus are among the smallest vertebrates in the world,due to an extreme process of miniaturization. As an example of this process,Brachycephalus species show loss of fingers, loss of the eardrum and middle ear, bonefusions, and the presence of paravertebral plates and parotic plaque. However, there isa lack of studies focusing on consequences of miniaturization related to internal organs.Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether overall small body size hasconsequences for the nervous system, particularly the brain. We will conduct a study onminiaturized species, with special emphasis on the genus Brachycephalus. This will becarried out using the LNLS - Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory and a Exciscope Polaris, at the Danish Technical University (DTU). We expect to observe variation in brain morphology imposed by thesize constraints of miniaturized species and by the reduction of available cranial space. (AU)