The uniqueness of human vulnerability to brain aging in great ape evolution

Aging in humans is linked to progressive gray matter loss in the brain, a pattern also observed in chimpanzees, providing an evolutionary perspective on brain aging. This study uses a comparative framework to examine the relationship between gray matter atrophy with age and recent cerebral expansion in humans and chimpanzees. The results show a positive relationship between cerebral aging and cortical expansion in humans, particularly in higher-order cognitive areas like the ventral prefrontal cortex. This association, absent in chimpanzees, supports the “last-in-first-out” hypothesis, suggesting that recently evolved brain regions in humans are more vulnerable to aging. For more information, read more here.