New Research Reveals Human Brain Consists of Two Separate Nervous Systems
Research led by Stanford Medicine has shown that the human brain does not have a single origin and was formed by the merger of two separate nervous systems over hundreds of millions of years of evolution.
Stanford Medicine researchers have discovered that the human brain is not formed from a single origin, but rather from the merger of two distinct nervous systems that emerged independently over hundreds of millions of years of evolution. This finding challenges long-standing assumptions in the field of neuroscience.
Two Different Origins of the Brain
According to the prevailing model, the entire brain evolved from a single early precursor cell population. However, new findings show that the human brain brings together two very ancient and separate nervous systems.
Functional Differences
While one of the systems performs vital functions such as controlling breathing and heartbeat, the other gives rise to regions associated with higher-level abilities such as language, mathematics, and abstract thought.
Differentiation During the Embryonic Period
It was determined that during the gastrulation stage, the hindbrain is not a later-branching part of the pathway that produces the forebrain and midbrain, but rather follows its own independent path from the very beginning.
Neuron Production in the Laboratory
Researchers overcame a significant hurdle in the laboratory by successfully transforming human pluripotent stem cells into functional hindbrain motor neurons.
Evolutionary History
The presence of a similar dual-origin structure in chickens, zebrafish, and marine worms strengthens the probability that the modern vertebrate brain was formed by the merger of two primitive systems.
New Horizons in Disease Research
The ability to grow hindbrain neurons in a petri dish will allow severe diseases affecting the brainstem, such as SMA and ALS, to be studied with higher precision.