Human brain evolution.

Publisher Summary Studies of human brain function and dysfunction have provided data, including the identification of many genes essential for the normal human condition. Molecular evolution studies have provided evidence that the changes in some of these genes gave a selective advantage, and are thus primary candidates in the search for genes responsible for the evolution of human-specific cognitive functions. Many more genes involved in the evolution of human cognition, with changes affecting both gene structure and gene regulation, are yet to be identified. Identification of genes affected by positive selection, either on regulatory or structural levels, may help to discover the molecular mechanisms underlying human specific brain functions. The human brain evolution related to anatomical evolution, protein sequence evolution, gene expression evolution, and adaptive human brain evolution is discussed. The chapter presents the theory of gene expression evolution for the evolution of human brain. The advantage of the evolutionary approach is that it is not limited to genes already implicated in neurological function through disease studies, but rather allows the identification of completely new and unexpected functional changes. There is no doubt that dramatic expansion and improvement of genetic and regulatory data in humans and non-human primates, combined with advances in medical and neurobiological studies, will provide new insights into human cognition.