Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
07:13
Electroporation of Sliced Human Cortical Organoids for Studies of Gene Function
Published on: November 29, 2024
Design principles of the human brain: an evolutionary perspective
1Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.hofman@nin.knaw.nl
Progress in Brain Research
|January 11, 2012
Summary
Brain evolution in mammals involved significant changes in cerebral cortex size and shape. This review explores primate brain design principles, suggesting human intelligence nears biological limits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary Biology
- Comparative Anatomy
Background:
- Mammalian brain evolution is marked by regional reorganization and altered cerebral cortex geometry.
- Comparative studies reveal architectural principles guiding neocortex growth and development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore design principles and operational modes of primate cerebral cortex information processing.
- To discuss the evolutionary trajectory of the primate brain and its cognitive capacities.
Main Methods:
- Review of comparative studies on mammalian and primate cerebral cortex evolution.
- Analysis of geometric, biophysical, and energy constraints on neuronal network development.
Main Results:
- Primate neocortex exhibits uniform organization into neural processing units.
- Evolutionary pressures have shaped brain geometry, particularly the cerebral cortex.
- Human brain evolution may be approaching the limits of biological intelligence.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the constraints on brain evolution provides insights into cognitive capacity.
- The primate cerebral cortex follows general architectural principles in its growth and development.
- Human intelligence represents a potential apex of biological evolution within current constraints.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
01:30Organization of the Brain
The brain is an integral component of the nervous system and serves as the center for processing sensory inputs, making decisions, and directing bodily actions. This complex organ is organized into three primary sections: the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain, each responsible for a range of vital functions.
Hindbrain
The hindbrain, located at the base of the brain, plays a vital role in regulating automatic processes that sustain life. It includes the medulla oblongata, which is essential for...
Hindbrain
The hindbrain, located at the base of the brain, plays a vital role in regulating automatic processes that sustain life. It includes the medulla oblongata, which is essential for...
01:01Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
01:20Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
01:26Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview I
The main and largest component of the human brain is the cerebrum. The cerebrum consists of two main parts: the cerebral cortex, an outer layer with wrinkles or folds known as gyri and shallow grooves called sulci, and a deeper region beneath it. The cerebrum divides into two distinct hemispheres and contains five different lobes: the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and insula. The central sulcus separates the frontal and parietal lobes and two functionally important gyri — the...
01:20Anatomy of the Brain: Major Regions
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. It consists of four main parts: the cerebrum, diencephalon, cerebellum, and brainstem.
The cerebrum is the largest section of the brain and divides into left and right hemispheres, separated by a deep fissure. The cerebral outer layer of grey matter — the cerebral cortex — comprises elevations called gyri and shallow groves called sulci. The inner portion of white matter includes long nerve fibers known as axons, which connect various areas...
The cerebrum is the largest section of the brain and divides into left and right hemispheres, separated by a deep fissure. The cerebral outer layer of grey matter — the cerebral cortex — comprises elevations called gyri and shallow groves called sulci. The inner portion of white matter includes long nerve fibers known as axons, which connect various areas...