6533b86efe1ef96bd12cb4ef
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Human brain evolution : how the increase of brain plasticity made us a cultural species
Chet C. SherwoodAida Gómez-roblessubject
MultidisciplinaryEcology05 social sciencesCultural contextEight millionClose relativesCognitionHuman brainBiology050105 experimental psychology03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicinemedicine.anatomical_structureHistory and Philosophy of ScienceEvolutionary biologyNeuroplasticitymedicine0501 psychology and cognitive sciences030217 neurology & neurosurgerydescription
Why are humans so different from other primate species? What makes us so capable of creating language, art and music? The specializations in human brain anatomy that are responsible for our unique behavioral and cognitive traits evolved over a very short period of evolutionary time (between six and eight million years). Recent evidence suggests that, alongside a reorganization of the brain and an increase in its size, neural plasticity may also play a major role in explaining the evolutionary history of our species. Plasticity is the propensity of the brain to be molded by external influences, including the ecological, social and cultural context. The impact of these environmental influences in shaping human behavior has been long recognized, but it has been only recently that scientists have started discovering the more pronounced plasticity of human brains compared to our close relatives.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-06-20 |