Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
How Primate Brains Differ From Humans
978 - How Primate Brains Differ from Humans
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr Norbert Herzog.
And I’m Dr. David Niesel
Even though humans and chimpanzees share ninety-nine percent of their DNA, it’s in the brain that they differ.
Our brains are three times larger at fourteen hundred cubic centimeters. Our neocortex is larger; that’s the brain’s outer layer where high-order functions like reasoning, abstract thought, and language happen.
The prefrontal cortex is disproportionately larger and is the source of complex problem-solving, empathy, and cultural practices.
The left and right sides of the brain are connected by the corpus callosum, which enhances communication between the two sides.
Plus humans possess high levels of brain plasticity compared to other primates. That’s when our neural circuits adapt and rewire themselves based on experience.
What we’re learning is that while brain size matters, organization and connectivity within the brain may be more important. This new work centered on constructing connectivity blueprints in humans, chimps and macaques using MRI data.
They found key connectivity differences in the prefrontal cortex and surprisingly, in other regions of the brain. The temporal cortex, a region above the ear that handles sensory information, was among the most heavily connected.
So, on top of being larger, human brains have a higher degree of synaptic density and neural connectivity than other primates. Scientists believe that instead of one large change, it was a bunch of small evolutionary changes that built our dominant brains.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or listen to our podcast on your favorite podcast service.
