BIO 1300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Reward System, Cortisol, Limbic System
26 Mar 2015
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3 times bigger than it used to be thanks to bipedalism and use of hands which allowed growth of the frontal cortex. Humans also have small pelvises because of bipedalism. The birth canal size also changed with the pelvis- in order to accommodate the baby"s large head size (at the end of gestation the head of the baby is the widest part) Soft spots the brain of the baby is small and immature at birth and the skull remains unfused (soft spots) Humans have the most immature brain at birth compared to all other mammals. (when fowls are born, within an hour they can walk, while human babies take years to learn the same. ) Allometric growth (different growth rates of different body parts in proportion) Of brain growth occurs out of the womb. Massive potential to learn in order to develop. By age 3, brain is 90% adult size.
