Elevated temperatures during development affect a wide range of traits in ectotherms. Less well understood is the impact of global warming on brain development, which has only rarely been studied experimentally. Here, we evaluate current progress in the field and search for common response patterns among ectotherm groups. Evidence suggests that temperature may have a positive effect on neuronal activity and growth in developing brains, but only up to a threshold, above which temperature is detrimental to neuron development. These responses appear to be taxon dependent but this assumption may be due to a paucity of data for some taxonomic groups. We provide a framework with which to advance this highly promising field in the future.

发育过程中升高的温度会影响变温动物的多种性状。不太了解的是全球变暖对大脑发育的影响，这很少被实验研究。在这里，我们评估了该领域的当前进展，并在 ectotherm 群体之间寻找共同的反应模式。有证据表明，温度可能对发育中的大脑中的神经元活动和生长产生积极影响，但只能达到一个阈值，高于该阈值对神经元发育有害。这些反应似乎依赖于分类群，但这种假设可能是由于某些分类群的数据缺乏所致。我们提供了一个框架，用于在未来推进这个极具前景的领域。