A new study conducted by British scientists based on the evolutionary roots of the brain has suggested that a big brain doesn't make you smarter.
The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday that researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have discovered that during evolution, the molecular processing of nerve impulses is increasingly sophisticated. more specifically, providing more connections in the brain, allowing development with more complex behaviors (not because they are bigger but smarter).
The study was conducted by Seth Grant, head of the genetic awareness program at the institute, along with his colleagues at the universities of Edinburgh and Keele.
He doubted current conclusions, arguing that the constituents of the protein compound in the connections of nerves - the so-called neural conjugates - are similar to most animals. , from tiny worms to humans, and it is an increase in the number of neurotransmitters in large animals, which allow them to have more complex thoughts.
(Photo: Corbis)
'Our simple vision suggests that' many nerves' are sufficient to explain 'much energy in the brain'. But no, simply, it was because of our lack of support, ' Grant said as a maxim.
It is not a single standard of brain ability, he added: 'We are taking a step closer to understanding the logic behind the complex construction of the brain. human'.
Scientists have studied 600 protein compounds in mammalian neuron conjugates. And they found impressive differences in the protein compounds of the neuronal conjugates between different species, with only 50% of these, found in the neurological conjugates of animals. backbone, and about 25% are in single cell animals, those without brains.
'The number and complexity of the protein compounds in the neurotransmitters were initially smashed when multicellular animals appeared about a few billion years ago. A second round of mutations has arisen with the emergence of vertebrates, perhaps 500 million years ago, " Grant said.
Since the evolution of compounds, 'large' synapses have emerged before the emergence of large brains, these molecular evolutionary events are necessary for the evolution of the human brain, he affirmed.
He said, the molecular evolution of synapses is like the evolution of computer chips, the greater the complexity, the more energy they give.
Neurotransmitters are connections between nerves, where electronic signals from a cell are transmitted through a series of biochemical transformations to the next. However, neural conjugates are not simple connections. And the mini processor will transfer to the nerve system capable of acquiring knowledge, training skills and intellectual abilities of people.
