Article
Accelerated evolution of the ASPM gene controlling brain size begins prior to human brain expansion.
PLoS biology - 1 May 2004
Kouprina Natalay, Pavlicek Adam, Mochida Ganeshwaran H, Solomon Gregory, Gersch William, Yoon Young-Ho, Collura Randall, Ruvolo Maryellen, Barrett J Carl, Woods C Geoffrey, Walsh Christopher A, Jurka Jerzy, Larionov Vladimir
Abstract excerpt
Primary microcephaly (MCPH) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by global reduction in cerebral cortical volume. The microcephalic brain has a volume comparable to that of early hominids, raising the possibility that some MCPH genes may have been evolutionary targets in the expansion of the cerebral cortex in mammals and especially primates. Mutations in ASPM, which encodes the human homologue of a fly...
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