The evolutionary origin of psychosis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Evolutionary Biology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Imagination and psychosis are uniquely human traits linked to the prefrontal cortex.
• Human accelerated regions (HARs) are novel genetic loci involved in brain development and risk for schizophrenia.
• Mind wandering, a proxy for imagination, shares similarities with REM dreaming and psychosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a hypothesis on the evolutionary relationship between imagination, dreaming, and psychosis.
• To explore the potential role of human accelerated regions in the evolution of human imagination and the development of psychotic disorders.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of cognitive functions (imagination, dreaming, psychosis) across species.
• Review of neuroimaging data linking brain activity during dreams, hallucinations, and mind wandering.
• Examination of genetic and epigenetic factors, specifically human accelerated regions, in brain evolution and disease.

Main Results:

• Imagination is hypothesized as an evolutionary adaptation of dreaming.
• Primary psychosis is proposed to result from insufficient top-down control over imagination.
• Human accelerated regions are implicated as potential drivers in the evolution of imagination and the pathogenesis of psychotic disorders.

Conclusions:

• Imagination and psychosis may share evolutionary roots and neurobiological underpinnings.
• Deficient prefrontal cortex control over imaginative processes could underlie psychosis.
• Human accelerated regions represent a key area for understanding the evolution of human cognition and psychiatric conditions.