Anthropology and neuropsychology to study how the brain evolved

Emiliano Bruner, a paleoneurologist at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), has just published a review article in the journal Brain Structure and Function that brings anthropology and neuropsychology together to investigate the evolution of the parietal lobes in hominins and, in particular, to consider those aspects that could have influenced the evolution of material culture.

The paper introduces concepts and insights from paleoneurology, neuroarchaeology, and cognitive archaeology to highlight the changes in anatomy and behavior associated with the parietal cortex and visuospatial capacities in the human genus, as well as with technological production.

It also explores the evidence associated with neurophysiology and neuropsychology, analyzing certain pathological disorders associated with brain lesions such as apraxia (inability to perform manual coordination), considering ethological and electrophysiological studies in non-human primates and describing the functional data from brain imaging.