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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices

Published on: January 22, 2018

When brains expand: mind and the evolution of cortex.

Matthew T K Kirkcaldie¹, Peter D Kitchener²

¹1Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.

Acta Neuropsychiatrica

|March 9, 2016

Summary

Human cognitive abilities may stem from increased neocortex size, not just new brain mechanisms. This evolutionary and developmental perspective explains mental complexity through brain plasticity and size expansion.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Evolutionary Biology
Developmental Biology

Background:

The human cognitive gap with primates is often attributed to novel brain mechanisms.
Neocortical organization and its role in advanced cognitive functions remain areas of active research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between evolutionary and developmental factors influencing the human neocortex.
To explore how neocortical properties contribute to the emergence of the conscious mind.

Main Methods:

Literature review of 50 key works sourced from PubMed and monograph bibliographies.
Analysis of comparative brain morphometry and neocortical development.

Main Results:

Increased neocortical size, rather than unique mechanisms, may explain advanced human cognition.
Consistent exponential ratios between neocortex and other brain regions across primate species.
Mammalian neocortex exhibits unusual plasticity, facilitating rapid evolutionary changes in organization.

Conclusions:

A parsimonious explanation for human mental complexity based on evolutionary and developmental processes.
Neocortical expansion naturally generates higher cognitive sophistication.
Offers a novel perspective on the evolutionary basis of mental complexity.