London - It does not exactly trip off the tongue but it is our frontal pole prefrontal cortex that helps makes us different from monkeys.
This sprout-sized brain region is intimately involved in human activities from multi-tasking to pondering the “what ifs” of life.
Researchers used an MRI machine to peer into the part of the brain that is key to the superior intelligence of primates, including people.
Scans from 25 men and women showed that this part of the brain is made up of a dozen smaller sections. The scans were then compared with monkey brains.
Eleven of the 12 sections were similar. But one – the lateral frontal pole prefrontal cortex – was missing in the macaques, despite it being one of our closest relatives.
Oxford University scientist Matthew Rushworth said: “We’ve identified an area of the brain that appears to be uniquely human.”
Previous research has shown it is particularly important in multi-tasking, as well as mulling over “what ifs”. The study was published in the journal Neuron. - Daily Mail