Architect genes of the brain: A look at brain evolution through genoarchitecture

Authors

  • Jose Luis Ferran University of Murcia (Spain); IMIB (Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria), Murcia (Spain).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.7.7245

Keywords:

brain evolution, gene expression patterns, brain regionalization, gene networks

Abstract

The brain of modern humans is the result of the evolution of a building plan (Bauplan) that began its design 500 hundred millions years ago. The process began in basal chordates (sea animals that were living immersed in the sand) and gave rise to the first building plan of the central nervous system; this was progressively modified and shared by all vertebrates. Behind the story are gene networks, key actors in the process to give identity to the different brain regions. This evolutionary scenario provides the basis for studies that seek to understand what is «conserved» and what is «new» between different vertebrates, as well as the underlying mechanisms involved in this process. This article explores the role of genoarchitectonic studies in this human scientific endeavor.

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Author Biography

Jose Luis Ferran, University of Murcia (Spain); IMIB (Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria), Murcia (Spain).

Associate Professor at the Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology of the University of Murcia (Spain). He is a researcher in Murcia Institute for Biosanitary Research (IMIB), where he is the head of the functional genoarchitecture unit of the Research Group in Brain Regionalization and Development Genes. He is the author of many papers in this topic.

References

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Published

2017-06-20

How to Cite

Ferran, J. L. (2017). Architect genes of the brain: A look at brain evolution through genoarchitecture. Metode Science Studies Journal, (7), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.7.7245
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Issue

Unravelling science: Pulling the thread of knowledge (2017)

Section

The secrets of the brain. An evolutionary perspective on neuroscience

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