2012 research

I am a biological anthropologist with a special interest in the comparative neuroanatomy of primates and reconstructing the evolutionary history of our species. Using a histological framework in conjunction with phylogenetically informed procedures, I aim at investigating the neuroanatomical features underlying the behavioral repertoire of large brained, social animals. My research has focused on issues relating to brain asymmetry and correlates with handedness, evolutionary changes in the homologues of human language areas, exploring scaling relationships at different levels of organization and characterizing the phenotypic changes that accompanied the evolution of large brains in other taxa. As a secondary interest, I am also engaged in collaborative projects in medical education and forensic anthropology.

More information about Dr. Spocter’s research

Publications

Maseko, B.C., Jacobs, B., Spocter, M.A., Sherwood, C.C., Hof, P.R., and Manger, P.R. (2013). Qualitative and quantitative aspects of the microanatomy of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) cerebellar cortex. Brain Behavior Evolution 00 (0), 000-000., 2013 - link

Spocter, M.A., Hopkins, W.D., Barks, S.K., Bianchi, S., Stimpson, C.D., Fobbs, A.J., Hof, P.R., and Sherwood, C.C. (2012). Neuropil distribution in the cerebral cortex differs between humans and chimpanzees. Journal of Comparative Neurology 520 (13), 2917-2929., 2012 - link

Maseko, B.C., Spocter, M.A., Haagensen, M., and Manger, P.R. (2012). Elephants have the relatively largest cerebellum size of mammals. Anatomical Record (Hoboken) 295,661-672., 2012 - link

Manger, P.R., Hemingway, J. Spocter, M.A., & Gallagher, A. (2012). The mass of the human brain: is it a spandrel. In: Reynolds, S & Gallagher, A. (eds.) African Genesis: Perspectives on Hominin Evolution, Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology. Cambridge University Press, 2012 - link

Štrkalj, G., Spocter, M.A., & Wilkinson, A.T. (2011). Anatomy, medical education and human ancestral variation. Anatomical Sciences Education, 4(6):362-365. , 2011 - link

Štrkalj, G., Ngo, A., Park, K., Kim, G.B., & Spocter, M.A. (2011). Chiropractors’ perceptions of the possible racial differences in response to a treatment: A pilot study. Studies on Ethno-Medicine, 5(3),149-151. - Link, 2011 - link

Maseko, B.C., Spocter, M.A., Haagensen, M., & Manger, P.R. 2011. Volumetric analysis of the African elephant ventricular system. Anatomical Record (Hoboken) 298,1412-1417., 2011 - link

Bianchi, S., Bauernfeind, A.L., Gupta, K., Stimpson, C.D., Spocter, M.A., Bonar, C.J., Manger, P.R., Hof, P.R., Jacobs, B., & Sherwood, C.C. 2011. Neocortical neuron morphology in Afrotheria: comparing the rock hyrax with the African elephant. Ann. N.Y.Acad. Sci. 1225, 37-46., 2011 - link

Spocter, M.A., Hopkins, W.D., Garrison, A.R., Bauerfeind, A., Stimpson, C.D., Hof, P.R., & Sherwood, C.C. 2010. Wernicke’s area homologue in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and its relation to the appearance of modern human language. Proc R Soc B 277, 2165-2174., 2010 - link

Sherwood, C.C., Raghanti, M.A., Stimpson, C.D., Spocter, M.A., Uddin, M., Boddy, A.M., Wildman, D.E., Bonar, C.J., Lewandowski, A.H., Phillips, K.A., Erwin, J.M., & Hof, P.R. 2010. Inhibitory interneurons of the human prefrontal cortex display conserved evolution of the phenotype and related genes. Proc R Soc B 277, 1011-1020., 2010 - link

Raghanti, M.A., Spocter, M.A., Butti, C., Hof, P.R., & Sherwood, C.C. 2010. A comparative perspective on minicolumns and inhibitory GABAergic interneurons in the Neocortex. Front Neuroanat. 4, (3) 1-10., 2010 - link

Wilkinson, A.T., Štrkalj, G., & Spocter, M.A. 2010. Should human variation be taught to medical students? In: Štrkalj, G. (ed.) Teaching Human Variation: Issues, Trends and Challenges. Hauppauge: Nova Science Publishers., 2010 - link

Schenker, N.M., Hopkins, W.D., Spocter, M.A., Garrison, A.R., Stimpson, C.D., Erwin, J.M., Hof, P.R., & Sherwood, C.C. 2010. Broca’s area homologue in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): probabilistic mapping, asymmetry, and comparison to humans. Cerebral Cortex 20, 730-742., 2010 - link

Raghanti, M.A., Spocter, M.A., Stimpson, C.D., Erwin, J.M., Bonar, C.J., Allman, J.M., Hof, P.R., & Sherwood, C.C. 2009. Species specific distributions of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons in the prefrontal cortex of anthropoid primates. Neuroscience 158, 1551-9., 2009 - link

Dayal, M.R., Spocter, M.A., & Bidmos, M.A. 2008. Sexual dimorphism of the skull of black South Africans by discriminant function analysis. Journal of Comparative Human Biology: HOMO. 59, 209-221., 2008 - link

Spocter, M.A., & Strkalj, G. 2007. Darwinian medicine: An evolutionary perspective to health and disease. South African Medical Journal. 97, 1044-1046. , 2007 - link

Spocter, M.A., & Manger, P.R. 2007. The use of cranial variables for the estimation of hominin body mass. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 134, 92-105, 2007 - link

Awards and honors

2007, 2006, 2005 - Paleontological Scientific Trust Graduate bursary

2007, 2006, 2005 - University of Witwatersrand Graduate fellowship (Ph.D.)

2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 - National Research Foundation, South Africa Grant holder linked bursary (Ph.D.)

2004 - University of Witwatersrand Graduate fellowship (MSc)

2003 - Paleontological Scientific Trust Graduate bursary

2003 - Makapansgat Research bursary in Paleoanthropology