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Jun

2008

Complex Synapses Drove Brain Evolution

"One of the great scientific challenges is to understand the design principles and origins of the human brain. New research has shed light on the evolutionary origins of the brain and how it evolved into the remarkably complex structure found in humans." Science Daily

www.sciencedaily.com/...080608131209.htm

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brain evolution synapses grue AZB

in list: Evolution, Androids, Zombies and Brains

during evolution, increasingly sophisticated molecular processing of nerve impulses allowed development of animals with more complex behaviours
"Our simple view that 'more nerves' is sufficient to explain 'more brain power' is simply not supported by our study," explained Professor Seth Grant, Head of the Genes to Cognition Programme at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and leader of the project. "Although many studies have looked at the number of neurons, none has looked at the molecular composition of neuron connections. We found dramatic differences in the numbers of proteins in the neuron connections between different species".
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- "The molecular evolution of the synapse is like the evolution of computer chips - the increasing complexity has given them more power and those animals with the most powerful chips can do the most," continues Professor Grant.