Loading…

Why did humans surpass all other primates? Are our brains so different? Part 2

The second part of this review is an attempt to explain why only developed language. It should be remarked that this review is based on the opinion of a clinical neurologist and does not intend to go beyond an overview of this complex topic. The progressive development of language was probably due t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Dementia & neuropsychologia 2024, Vol.18, p.e20240087P2-e20240087P2
Main Author: Nitrini, Ricardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The second part of this review is an attempt to explain why only developed language. It should be remarked that this review is based on the opinion of a clinical neurologist and does not intend to go beyond an overview of this complex topic. The progressive development of language was probably due to the expansion of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and its networks. PFC is the largest area of the human cerebral cortex and is much more expanded in humans than in other primates. To achieve language, several other functions should have been attained, including abstraction, reasoning, expanded working memory, and executive functions. All these functions are strongly related to PFC and language had a profound retroactive impact on them all. Language and culture produce anatomic and physiological modifications in the brain. Learning to read is presented as an example of how culture modifies the brain.
ISSN:1980-5764
1980-5764
2764-4863
DOI:10.1590/1980-5764-DN-2024-0087P2