Introduction
A special lecture in the on demand content of the 2025 Virtual Component of SfN2025 is a lecture by Prof. Vanderhaeghen. This lecture is called: Mechanisms Linking Human Neuron Development, Evolution and (Dys)function. Prof. Pierre P. Vanderhaeghen is a physician and professor at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.
During the recent development of our human ancestors, the cerebral cortex—the part of the brain responsible for thinking and social skills—changed quickly. Prof. Vanderhagens talk explores how these brain circuits evolved. He looks at special genes that are unique to humans and some specific characteristics of our brain cells, like how they use energy. Understanding how these human-specific factors affect the growth and function of brain cells can help us learn more about our evolutionary history and reveal surprising connections to between developmental timing and human brain function and diseases.
This article is resource linked to the material on Unit 4: Brain Development and Unit 5: Cognition of this website.
Human synaptic neoteny may be required for experience dependent cortical circuit development and plasticity
Neuronal development in the human cerebral cortex is considerably prolonged compared to that of other mammals. It results in extended critical periods of learning and plasticity that have been proposed to play a role in the acquisition of human-specific cognitive features.
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