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A human-accelerated neuron type potentially underlying autism in humans

(academic.oup.com)
185 points ivewonyoung | 1 comments | 28 Sep 25 23:32 UTC | HN request time: 0.204s | source
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thorncorona ◴[29 Sep 25 00:42 UTC] No.45409364[source]▶
> In summary, we introduce a general principle governing neuronal evolution and suggest that the exceptionally high prevalence of autism in humans may be a direct result of natural selection for lower expression of a suite of genes that conferred a fitness benefit to our ancestors while also rendering an abundant class of neurons more sensitive to perturbation.

I don't see how the title "Autism may be the price of human intelligence, linked to human brain evolution" is at all related to the paper?

replies(2): >>45409409 #>>45410797 #
1. metadat ◴[29 Sep 25 00:50 UTC] No.45409409[source]▶
It is a long paper, so not immediately obvious.

> The study links evolutionary neuroscience with neurodevelopmental disease, suggesting that the unusually high incidence of autism in humans might be a byproduct of selection shaping our brains.

> It suggests that key neuron types in the human brain are subject to particularly strong evolutionary pressures, especially in their regulatory landscapes.

> If valid, it opens a new lens through which to think about neurodiversity: certain vulnerabilities might be inextricable from the very changes that made human cognition distinctive