Scientists from the University of Oxford have found that the high prevalence of autism spectrum disorders may be related to the evolution of the human brain. The work was published in the Molecular Biology and Evolution (MBE) magazine.
According to the WHO, autism affects one of the hundred children in the world. At the same time, such behavioral features are almost never seen in big monkeys. Researchers explain this by the fact that autism and schizophrenia are closely linked to cognitive functions, speech and complex communication, which are typical only people.
Comparing the data on the expression of genes in different types of people in different types of people and other primates, scientists have found that L2 / 3 IT neurons in the outer layers of the brain crawls have developed especially quickly. These changes were accompanied by the noticeable rearrangement of the genes related to autism. According to the authors, they were the result of a natural choice, which is typical only by the human line.
Why are such genetic changes useful for human ancestors? However, researchers believe that they can slow down the development of the brain after giving people more time to develop complex cognitive skills. In addition, many of these genes are connected with the language, which is a unique ability typical of our species.
"Our results show that some of the same genetic changes have become unique to the human brain, they have made people more neuro-scheduled," said Alexander L. Star.
Translation of: Euromedia24.com
