What Makes the Human Brain Unique? Scientists Compared It With Monkeys and Apes to Find Out
1 min read
Summary
Chimpanzees and monkeys have been used to help scientists understand what makes the human brain unique through comparing white matter connectivity.
White matter is the brain’s wiring, where communication between brain cells occurs, and previous studies have focused on size rather than connectivity.
Using publicly available MRI data of white matter, researchers found that the chimpanzee and macaque monkey brain have a different connectivity fingerprint when it comes to the prefrontal cortex, which is linked to complex thought and decision making.
But the greatest distinction was in the temporal lobe, a large part of the cortex located behind the ear, which is dedicated to the deep processing of information from vision and hearing.
The arcuate fasciculus, a white matter tract connecting the frontal and temporal cortex, is believed to be larger in human brains and plays a role in other cognitive functions, including integrating sensory information and processing complex social behaviour.
