EVOLUCIJA MOZGA HOMINIDA - VELIČINA MOZGA I/ILI NEURALNA REORGANIZACIJA
HOMINID BRAIN EVOLUTION - BRAIN SIZE AND/OR NEURAL REORGANIZATION

Summary/Abstract: Through millions of years of evolution, major adaptations took place that changed and shaped the brain of primates. What characteristics of the brain are relevant to explain the evolution of intelligence and differences in intelligence with different taxonomies of primates? Are those the general characteristics like absolute brain size, or anatomical and physiological specialisations of different brain parts? This paper primarily shows hypotheses that explain the connection between the size of the brain and life-history variables. According to the majority of hypotheses, there is a direct evolutionary connection between the size of the brain and life-history variables.When changes occur in one variable, certain changes are expected in the other, regardless of the biological processes. However, the evolution of primate brain size entails complex patterns that include both an increase and decrease of the size of certain structures. Therefore, alongside the comparison of the absolute and relative size of the brain in different species, comparative studies of the anatomic organisation and nerve circles in similar brain structures also constitute a significant source of information on brain evolution. Although there is an ongoing debate on the importance of the sizeof the brain versus the neurological reorganisation, it could be argued that this is a misplaced dichotomy, for both perspectives are important in order to understand the evolution of brain in primates. The evolution of organisms unfolds in a coordinated manner. With the overall increase in the body size, an increase also occurs in the size of body parts, internal organs, and accordingly the brain. That is why a significant section of variability of size in certain body parts can be explained in the overall size of the body. On the other hand, the varying size of certain parts of the brain is independent of the overall size of the brain. The mosaic evolution concept obtains that organs evolve in different ways given the varying nature of selective pressures.As is the case with body organs, certain brain structures can change in an adaptively specific manner, independently of changes to the entire brain.

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