Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 13:25:11 -0700From: gmsizemore2 from yahoo.comSubject: Re: [Neuroscience] Re: why did humans grow a bigger neocortex?To: myukhome from hotmail.com
----- Original Message ----From: konstantin kouzovnikov <myukhome from hotmail.com>To: Glen M. Sizemore <gmsizemore2 from yahoo.com>; neur-sci from magpie.bio.indiana.eduSent: Monday, September 3, 2007 3:31:09 PMSubject: RE: [Neuroscience] Re: why did humans grow a bigger neocortex?
A bigger cortex might simply mean quantitative changes in a few > processes. Except anthropological data suggest that in the more recent history of humanoids cerebellum grew faster than any other part of the brain. The latter complicates the picture, doesn't it? Konstantin
Does it? Which picture does it complicate?
>Yor friend,
>Glen
Well, it may sound simplistic, but why one structure has "preferential" treatment at a specific point in evolution, if there is a volume of other "more important" parts? Take Llinas's talamo-cortical system and the importance he had applied to it? His argument is this system is pretty much the reason for human consciousness to be what it is. However, it is cerebellum that balooned the most (indeed, I am talking about the rate of growth only). Aren't we qualitatively different, I mean, we the human folks? Dogs did not taste the forbidden fruit, did they? (They probably did, however, for some reason it did not affect them, the opportunists they are). Humans did (more reasons to feel affinity to the dogs, to be completely illogical). Some people do seem to agree that more is not necessarily better. So, then "better" must come from somewhere? What are we better at? What is so special about cBellum? Can you tell? By the way, cBellum shrinks first, as we age. What's up with that? What I am saying, following what Matt has said.. one would think: ok, then what?
Cheers,
Konstantin
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