It Is Not Just Size That Separates the Human Brain from Other Living Primates

It Is Not Just Size That Separates the Human Brain from Other Living Primates

Subject :Science and Technology

Context: Results of a study we published in Nature Ecology & Evolution show that the way the different parts of the human brain evolved separates us from our primate relatives.

Results of the study:

• Mammalian brains have four distinct regions or lobes, each with particular functions. The frontal lobe is associated with reasoning and abstract thought, the temporal lobe with preserving memory, the occipital lobe with vision, and the parietal lobe helps to integrate sensory inputs.
• Tracking change over deep time across dozens of primate species, we found humans had particularly high levels of brain integration, especially between the parietal and frontal lobes.
• Integration between these lobes was similarly high in Neanderthals too. Looking at changes in shape through growth revealed that in apes, such as the chimpanzee, integration between the brain’s lobes is comparable to that of humans until they reach adolescence.
• At this point, integration rapidly falls away in the apes, but continues well into adulthood in humans.
• Result suggest, what distinguishes humans from other primates is not just that brains are bigger. The evolution of the different parts of brain is more deeply integrated, and, unlike any other living primate, humans retain this right through into adult life.
• A greater capacity for learning is typically associated with juvenile life stages. We suggest this Peter Pan syndrome played a powerful role in the evolution of human intelligence.

About Peter Pan Syndrome:

• The term ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’ first appeared in 1983, in a book authored by Dr Dan Kiley titled ‘Peter Pan Syndrome: Men Who Have Never Grown Up’.
  • He described it as a “social-psychological phenomenon”.
• It is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist James Matthew Barrie in the early 1900s.
  • His character is one of a carefree young boy, who never grows up.
  • He features in several of Barrie’s books and plays and has since been adapted in numerous films, television series and comics.
• It is said that people who develop similar behaviours (of living life carefree, finding responsibilities challenging in adulthood, and basically, “never growing up”) suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome.
• While the World Health Organization does not recognise Peter Pan Syndrome as a health disorder, many experts believe it is a mental health condition that can affect one’s quality of life.