A new study replicated these early experiments to confirm that domestic cats (Felis catus) do in fact have smaller brains than their ancestors, according to a paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
The research team measured a total of 103 skulls from the collections of National Museums Scotland. They compared domestic cat skulls to African wildcats, a genetically closer relative than European wildcats (Felis silvestris). To measure cranial volume, they filled each skull with one-millimeter glass beads and weighed how many each skull could hold, per the study. Modern house kitties have smaller cranial volumes than African wildcats, but both species have smaller skulls than European wildcats. They also measured the skull volume of domestic cats bred with European wildcats. These specimens had brain sizes somewhere in between the small size of their domesticated parent and the large size of their wild parent.
One explanation for reduced brain size and other traits associated with domestication syndrome is outlined in the neural crest cell hypothesis, which was published in a 2014 study. Neural crest cells are a group of embryonic stem cells that form near the spinal cord of vertebrate embryos and move to different parts of the body as the embryo matures. These cells give rise to different traits, such as skin and fur pigment, jaws, ears, and the adrenal glands, which are the center of the flight-or-fight response, per a 2014 statement about the original study. A deficit in neural crest cell development could be responsible for those patches of white fur, floppy ears, and baby-face features like little noses, per the hypothesis.
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