The researchers compared the genomes of animals with large and small neocortex regions, including dolphins which have a large neocortex compared with the rest of their brain
A number of new links between families of genes and brain size have been identified by UK scientists, opening up a whole new avenue of research to better understand brain development and diseases like dementia. A team of scientists from the Universities of Bath and Lincoln compared the genomes of 28 mammals with differing sizes of neocortex - the region of the brain that is involved in higher cognitive behaviours such as language and decision-making. The size of this region differs hugely between species, and is the part of the brain that has grown the most in the human lineage over evolutionary time. Better understanding of brain development . The study, published in the Royal Society journal Open Biology , identified a number of gene families - which can grow and contract through gene duplication and deletion - that have expanded in line with the growth of the neocortex relative to the size of the brain. The research highlighted a host of new genes that haven't previously been linked with brain development, including those known to be involved in cell signalling and immune response. The researchers hope this discovery might give a better understanding as to which genes are key in human brain development, which could lead to new insights into what goes wrong in a variety of mental health disorders, including dementia.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
