Studies have shown that the differences in primate brains are small but significant
Date : December 5, 2022
Souce : University of Wisconsin-Madison
Summary : Despite the physical differences between humans and non-humans, their brains are very similar, according to a new study. But small changes can lead to big changes in brain development and disease.
Understanding the genetic differences in the human brain can help researchers study disorders of brain development. A new study recently published in the journal Science by University of Wisconsin-Madison neurology professor Andre Sousa identified differences and similarities between central brain cells. People are waking up. , primates including chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys and marmosets.
Differences in these cell types shed light on their origins and how these differences lead to human disorders such as autism and mental retardation. Sousa, who studies brain development at UW-Madison's Weizmann Institute, decided to collaborate with Yale University to study and organize cells in the prefrontal cortex. , where he worked as a postdoctoral fellow. ... ... ...
"We highlighted the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex because it's very interesting. This part of the cortex is only found in monkeys. Not in other species," Sousa said. "It's involved in very high cognitive functions, like working with memory. It's in a lot of neurological diseases. So we decided to do this study to see what people do in this part of the brain."
Sousa and his lab collected genetic information on more than 600,000 cells and tissues from the frontal cortex of humans, chimpanzees, monkeys and marmosets. They analyzed the data, classified the cells into different types, and found differences between the types of the same cells. Not surprisingly, most cells compare well.
"Most cells are very similar because these species are very close in evolution," says Sousa.
Sousa and colleagues found five types of cell loss in four locations in the prefrontal cortex. They saw discrepancies between the number of one particular cell type and the number of other cell types. When you compare a chimpanzee to a human, you notice the difference from physical characteristics to brain power. But at the cellular and genetic level, at least in the prefrontal cortex, there are few similarities and few differences.
"That's what our lab really wants to understand," Sosa said. This is the uniqueness of the human brain. From this work and our previous works. at least in primates.
The subtle differences found by the researchers can provide a starting point for explaining these differences. This information can shed light on evolutionary and developmental differences at the molecular level.
"We wanted to know what happened after the evolution between humans and other primates," Susa said. "The idea is that you have too many genes or mutations. And the genes have slightly different functions. But what if those genes are essential for brain development? How many cells do they make, or what do the cells look like?" It works like this.Integration "How do other cells affect muscle circuits and body structures? We want to understand how these differences cause differences in the brain. This leads to the differences we see in adults."
The results of most studies were performed in the adult brain after completion. Since there can be differences in the development of the brain, the next step for researchers is to examine the characteristics of the developing brain. and extended the study to the prefrontal cortex to determine where and when these differences occur. We hope that this information will help you create a solid foundation for examining developmental disorders.
"Can we do things differently? We study life, the universe, etc. And when you look at it, it's completely different," said Sosa, whose former students included Ryan Risgards, Zachary Gomez Sanchez and Daniel Schmidt in the group. intern.researcher and university students Ashwin Debnath and Cade Hatman. It must be in the brain, right? There is something in our brain that allows us to do all of this. And we want to know what happened."
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