What makes us human? We tend to think that being able to plan into the future, be flexible in our approach and learn from others are things that are particularly impressive about humans. Weve identified an area of the brain that appears to be uniquely human and is likely to have something to do with these cognitive powers, says senior researcher Professor Matthew Rushworth of Oxford Universitys Department of Experimental Psychology. The researchers also noted some key differences between monkeys and humans. For example, ventrolateral frontal cortex circuits in the two species differ in the way that they interact with brain areas involved with hearing. This could explain why monkeys perform very poorly in some auditory tasks and might suggest that we humans use auditory information in a different way when making decisions and selecting actions. A region in the human ventrolateral frontal cortex—called the lateral frontal pole—does not seem to have an equivalent area in the monkey. This area is involved with strategic planning, decision-making, and multi-tasking abilities. Some parts are implicated in psychiatric conditions like ADHD, drug addiction or compulsive behaviour disorders. Language is affected when other parts are damaged after stroke or neurodegenerative disease. The Oxford University researchers report their findings in the science journal Neuron. eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-01/uoo-wmu012714.php
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 13:36:34 +0000
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