Question: How similar are our brains in comparison to primates and other mammals?

Alex Reid answered on 14 Nov 2018: last edited 15 Nov 2018 8:49 am

Hi OK? Great question. Animals, particularly vertebrates (animals with a backbone) are often used as something called ‘analogues’ (a comparison) to humans in many experiments. This is because, broadly speaking, we share a lot of the basic brain structures and neurochemistry. Where humans differ the most is that we have an absolutely massive neocortex. While mammals do have an equivalent area ours absolutely dwarfs theirs. When you think of what a human brain looks like, that is mostly neocortex! This region is the most recently evolved part of the brain in humans and it is responsible for a whole load of things, including language and ‘higher order’ cognition. Our brain-to-body ratio is so big compared to other animals that humans often have more problems in childbirth compared to other species (big baby heads!). For a little bit more information relating to your question, check out this cool educational video I found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PydsQSNrcSo