The human brain and its cerebral cortex are made up of several billions of neurons that have been wired into complex layered circuits. These circuits dictate our ability to talk and walk and they control our thoughts of the past and also our dreams of the future.

Recent stem cell research conducted at the University of California in San Francisco has pointed at a discovery of neural stem cells that were previously not identified. These cells have been instrumental in the development of the fetal brain.

This stem cell research has shown further how these cells have generated neurons and incorporated them in the neo-cortex and have helped in our understanding of the complexity of our brain. Scientists are now in a position to explain the causes of the growth of the neo-cortex and this study will help in the future in connection with a deeper understanding of neuro-developmental diseases as well illnesses that are age related. The stem cell research has also aided in allowing us to understand how we have enhanced cognitive abilities in the form of conscious thought, mastering of languages, rationalization, motor commands and sensory input.

Researchers have been able to succeed in locating the genetic signature of these distinct stem cells in our brain which appear to generate majority of neurons in the complex cerebral cortex. These new findings have also been able to establish that the stem cells have played a crucial role in the evolution and expansion of our brain. The stem cell research done at the University of California in San Francisco will also help in enhancing the techniques of understanding neuro-psychiatric and neuro-developmental disorders like schizophrenia, autism and microcephaly.

Source: Stem Cell Research Hints at Evolution of Human Brain

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