{"title":"Why did humans surpass all other primates? Are our brains so different? Part 2.","authors":"Ricardo Nitrini","doi":"10.1590/1980-5764-DN-2024-0087P2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The second part of this review is an attempt to explain why only <i>Homo sapiens</i> 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":39167,"journal":{"name":"Dementia e Neuropsychologia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11019716/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Dementia e Neuropsychologia","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-5764-DN-2024-0087P2","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The second part of this review is an attempt to explain why only Homo sapiens 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.
期刊介绍：
Dementia top Neuropsychologia the official scientific journal of the Cognitive Neurology and Ageing Department of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology and of the Brazilian Association of Geriatric Neuropsychiatry, is published by the "Associação Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento", a nonprofit Brazilian association. Regularly published on March, June, September, and December since 2007.
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