[Article] MRI scans of the brains of 130 mammals, including humans, indicate equal connectivity

Image

Researchers conducted a first-of-its-kind study designed to investigate brain connectivity in 130 mammalian species. The intriguing results, contradicting widespread conjectures, revealed that brain connectivity levels are equal in all mammals, including humans.

Their study revealed a universal law: Conservation of Brain Connectivity which denotes that the efficiency of information transfer in the brain’s neural network is equal in all mammals, including humans. They also discovered a compensation mechanism which balances the connectivity in every mammalian brain. This mechanism ensures that high connectivity in a specific area of the brain, possibly manifested through some special talent (e.g. sports or music) is always countered by relatively low connectivity in another part of the brain.

In future projects they will investigate how the brain compensates for the enhanced connectivity associated with specific capabilities and learning processe.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200720112216.htm
Yaniv Assaf, Arieli Bouznach, Omri Zomet, Assaf Marom, Yossi Yovel. Conservation of brain connectivity and wiring across the mammalian class. Nature Neuroscience, 2020; 23 (7): 805