A research team from the University of New England in the USA found that the human brain does not age – study results published In the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
According to scientists, among all primates, only humans and Neanderthals have this feature. The brain of all mammals consists of four separate lobes, each performing its own functions. In their work, the group focused on examining whether brain lobes develop independently or together. In particular, they wanted to know how the human brain might differ from the brains of other primates in this respect.
To answer this question, the scientists looked at how different lobes changed over time between species – the analysis included hundreds of brain models from living and fossil primates. They also analyzed brain changes as the animal grew at different stages of its life cycle. The results showed that humans and Neanderthals had a particularly high level of brain integration, particularly between the parietal and frontal lobes, compared to other primates.
“Studying shape changes during growth has shown that in great apes, such as chimpanzees, the integration between brain lobes is the same as in humans until they reach puberty. At this point, integration stops rapidly in great apes, but continues into adulthood in humans,” the scientists said.
According to the researchers, the evolution of different parts of our brain is more closely integrated, and unlike other living primates, this trait persists throughout adult life.