External measures of cognition

Cairó, Osvaldo

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2011.00108

Cited by 35 publications

(31 citation statements)

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“…Relative brain weight (RBW), also known as brain-to-body weight ratio, is a hypothetical estimate of the intelligence of an animal, as it is believed to coincide much better with the observed cognitive abilities than absolute brain size (Cairό, 2011). In this study, the highest RBW was recorded in the MPTP mice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

SUB-CHRONIC MPTP-INDUCED PARKINSONISM: SELECTIVE SENSITIVITY OF THE BALB/c MICE AND THE PROPHYLACTIC ROLES OF NIGELLA SATIVA OIL

Folarin¹,

Olonade²,

Ogunkunle³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Parkinsonism is a degenerative neurological syndrome characterised by dopamine deficiency in the basal ganglia. Despite ages of research, there is still lack of holistic and side-effect-free therapy for the disease. Nigella sativa is a multi-potent plant known for its historical and scientifically proven therapeutic potentials in the brain and other body organs. Despite the validity debates on the use of BALB/c mice strains in the modelling of Parkinsonism using MPTP, this study re-appraised the sensitivity versus resistance of the BALB/c mice strain to MPTP and further investigated the possible neuro-thrapeutic role of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) in the Parkinsonic endophenotypes elicited by MPTP in the BALB/c strain. Body weights, relative brain weights, striatal dopamine, striatal neuron density and recognition memory were studied in thirty-two (32) male albino mice, weighing between 18g -25g. They were divided equally into Control (administered with normal feed for 5 days), MPTP (administered with 18mg/kg MPTP i.p for 5 days), NS (administered with 1ml/kgbw NSO p.o. for 5 days), and NS+MPTP (administered with 1ml/kgbw NSO p.o. followed by 18mg/kg MPTP i.p for 5 days). Recognition memory was assayed through Novel Object Recognition test (NORT), and the animals were weighed and euthanised 24 hours after last administration. The brains were excised and the striatum assayed neurochemically for dopamine and illustrated histologically for neuronal density using the H&E stain. Parkinsonic traits such as mild tremor, significant down-regulation of dopamine and striatal neurons (p<0.05) were recorded in the BALB/c mice administered with MPTP only, confirming MPTP-sensitivity for these features. However, significant increase (p<0.05) in appetite, body weight, brain-body weight ratio, and recognition memory was also recorded in the MPTP-administered mice, though Nigella sativa was significantly prophylactic against the negative Parkinsonic features, and ‘moderative’ of the up-regulations induced by MPTP. While this suggests selective MPTP sensitivity and resistance in BALB/c strains, this study recommends the investigation of possible beneficial potentials of MPTP as observed. The research was conducted in conformance with the Animal Research Ethics Committee (AREC) guidelines of the Olabisi Onabanjo University.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

SUB-CHRONIC MPTP-INDUCED PARKINSONISM: SELECTIVE SENSITIVITY OF THE BALB/c MICE AND THE PROPHYLACTIC ROLES OF NIGELLA SATIVA OIL

Folarin¹,

Olonade²,

Ogunkunle³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…It seems that the natural selection has opted for an optimal protein structure of SRGAP2 that can carry out a specific function to maintain not only the maximal number of neurons but also the maximum size of the brain. However, the extraordinary increase in the brain size and neuron number in humans has been attributed to the novel copy ( SRGAP2C ) of the SRGAP2 gene [9]. It appears that SRGAP2A continues to maintain its ancestral function in humans, and the new duplicate, namely SRGAP2C, adopts a new function in humans and mediates the accelerated growth of the brain and the number of cortical neurons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…EQ seems to be a better predictor of intelligence in comparison to 2 other traits in mammals. Although the average value of EQ is defined as 1, this value ranges from 0.38 in blue whales to 6.54 in humans [9]. However, the overall brain size was found to be a better predictor of intelligence than EQ and neocortex-based measures in nonhuman primates [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the <b><i>SRGAP2</i></b> Gene Is Linked to Intelligence in Mammals

Tiwary

2016

Biomed Hub

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Background/Aims: A recent duplication of the gene encoding SLIT-ROBO Rho GTPase-activating protein 2 (SRGAP2) in the primate lineage has been proposed to be associated with the human-specific extraordinary development of intelligence. There is no report regarding the role of the SRGAP2 gene in the expression of neural traits indicating intelligence in mammals. Methods: A phylogenetic tree of the SRGAP2 gene from 11 mammals was reconstructed using MrBayes. The evolution of neural traits along the branches of the phylogenetic tree was modeled in the BayesTraits, and the dN/dS ratio (i.e. the ratio between the number of nonsynonymous substitutions per nonsynonymous site and the number of synonymous substitutions per synonymous site) was estimated using the codon-based maximum likelihood method (CODEML) in PAML (phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood). Results: Two neural traits, namely brain mass and the number of cortical neurons, showed statistical dependency on the underlying evolutionary history of the SRGAP2 gene in mammals. A significant positive correlation between the increase in cortical neurons and the rate of nucleotide substitutions in the SRGAP2 gene was observed concomitantly with a significant negative correlation between the increase in cortical neurons and the rate of nonsynonymous substitutions in the gene. The SRGAP2 gene appears to be under intense pressure of purifying selection in all mammalian lineages under stringent functional constraint. Conclusion: This work indicates a key role of the SRGAP2 gene in the rapid expansion of neurons in the brain cortex, thereby facilitating the evolution of remarkable intelligence in mammals.

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“…There is increasing evidence that larger brains are linked with socialisation, greater cooperative care and more complex kinship ties (Smith et al 2012). The EQ of Homo Sapiens is 6.56, which puts us at the top of the list (Cairó 2011). The Neanderthal's (Homo neanderthalensis) meanwhile is 4.8 (Ruff et al 1997).…”

Section: The Physical Development Of Intelligencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For comparison purposes the whale dolphin's and bottlenose dolphin's EQ are at 5.55 and 5.26 respectively. The chimpanzee, our closest living relative, has a much lower value at 2.63 (Cairó 2011). However, some in the field have argued that for primates overall brain size and not the EQ is a better predictor of cognitive ability (Deaner et al 2007).…”

Section: The Physical Development Of Intelligencementioning

confidence: 99%

Were Neanderthals Rational? A Stoic Approach

Whiting

Konstantakos

Sadler³

et al. 2018

Humanities

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This paper adopts the philosophical approach of Stoicism as the basis for reexamining the cognitive and ethical relationship between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Stoicism sets out a clear criterion for the special moral status of human beings, namely rationality. We explore to what extent Neanderthals were sufficiently rational to be considered "human". Recent findings in the fields of palaeoanthropology and palaeogenetics show that Neanderthals possessed high-level cognitive abilities and produced viable offspring with anatomically modern humans. Our discussion offers insights for reflecting on the relationship between humans and other forms of natural life and any moral obligations that result.

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External measures of cognition

Cited by 35 publications

References 100 publications

SUB-CHRONIC MPTP-INDUCED PARKINSONISM: SELECTIVE SENSITIVITY OF THE BALB/c MICE AND THE PROPHYLACTIC ROLES OF NIGELLA SATIVA OIL

SUB-CHRONIC MPTP-INDUCED PARKINSONISM: SELECTIVE SENSITIVITY OF THE BALB/c MICE AND THE PROPHYLACTIC ROLES OF NIGELLA SATIVA OIL

Evolution of the <b><i>SRGAP2</i></b> Gene Is Linked to Intelligence in Mammals

Were Neanderthals Rational? A Stoic Approach

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