This increased brain size—noticeable in volume, surface areas, and structures such as the hippocampus—could be attributed to better health outcomes and educational opportunities.
Increased brain size could also help explain why the incidence of dementia is decreasing, as bigger brains offer a buffer against “late-life effects” of brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.
The human brain is one of the most impressive organs in the animal kingdom.
Over the course of human biology—measured in millions of years—some scientists have put forward the idea that the human brain is actually shrinking, fueled in part by the knowledge that human bodies have shrunk in size.
However, new research from University of California Davis suggests that on smaller timescales—that is, biological changes between generations—the brain’s volume has actually increased by 6.6 percent.
But it does show something—drastic changes happening in the human brain.
DeCarli’s research could provide evidence that an increased brain size might be part of the reason why. »
