The Evolution of the Cerebral Cortex
Presenter:
Sense of Mind
Time:
12:00
Summary
Explore the fascinating evolution of the cerebral cortex, the most sophisticated brain region, which is crucial for complex cognition and perception. In this video, you'll learn how the cortex evolved from a simple network of nerves in giant worms to the highly specialized and intricately wired cortex of haplorrhines, the primate group that includes humans. Discover the selection pressures that drove the lateral expansion of the cortex and the exponential growth of white matter connections. Plus, learn how the cerebellum, the brain structure involved in motor movement and balance, contributed to the expansion of the cortex.
Transcript
Your brain is an incredibly complex network, with tens of billions of neurons working together in a coordinated dance that allows you to think, feel, and take action. The most sophisticated brain region of all may be the cerebral cortex or cortex for short. It's a thin layer of tissue covering the outside of the brain. Animals with a big and intricately wired cortex tend to be more cognitively flexible than those with a simpler cortex.
In the course of evolution, the brains of a certain line of primates known as the Haplorhines underwent an enormous expansion of their cortex. Part of the reason that your human brain is so powerful and sophisticated is that these primates are actually your distant ancestors. In this video, we'll explore the evolution of the primate cortex. But first, an important caveat: the cortex, like every other brain region, is useless by itself.