Evolution: our cerebellum differs from apes (Evolution)

by David Turell , Thursday, May 06, 2021, 22:05 (1295 days ago) @ David Turell

A new difference is discovered:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2276936-brains-movement-control-centre-may-have-ha...

"The key to human evolution may have been at the back of our minds all along – literally. Some of the biggest biochemical differences between human brains and those of other primates are found in the cerebellum, a region at the rear of the brain that has often been overlooked in evolutionary studies.

"The finding adds to growing evidence that changes to the cerebellum have been crucial for the origin of the human mind.

"All backboned animals have a cerebellum, which is involved in controlling movement.

“'It’s not really associated with much that’s uniquely human,” says Elaine Guevara at Duke University in North Carolina. Instead, neuroscientists seeking to explain the evolution of our brains have tended to focus on the cortex, the thick outer layer of the forebrain – especially the prefrontal cortex, which underpins our ability to consciously decide what to do.

"In recent years, some neuroscientists have argued that the cerebellum has changed more than thought during human evolution, and that these changes may have been crucial.

***

"The key to human evolution may have been at the back of our minds all along – literally. Some of the biggest biochemical differences between human brains and those of other primates are found in the cerebellum, a region at the rear of the brain that has often been overlooked in evolutionary studies. (my bold)

"The finding adds to growing evidence that changes to the cerebellum have been crucial for the origin of the human mind.

"All backboned animals have a cerebellum, which is involved in controlling movement.

“It’s not really associated with much that’s uniquely human,” says Elaine Guevara at Duke University in North Carolina. Instead, neuroscientists seeking to explain the evolution of our brains have tended to focus on the cortex, the thick outer layer of the forebrain – especially the prefrontal cortex, which underpins our ability to consciously decide what to do.

"In recent years, some neuroscientists have argued that the cerebellum has changed more than thought during human evolution, and that these changes may have been crucial."

Comment: The cerebellum is a movement control center, allowing for precise coordination of all moving parts of our bodies. Think of how precisely we use our arms and fingers, for example in typing, violin and piano playing, etc. This finding is not a surprise. My bold above is a thoughtless conjecture. The frontal lobes do the decision making for the cerebellar actions. The cerebellar improvements were vital accompaniments.