June 8, 2007 — Neanderthals likely did not possess the cognitive complexities of modern humans and, as a result, probably did not suffer from schizophrenia and certain other mental disorders, according to a new theory.
The theory proposes that language, creativity and many mental diseases are linked, due to the fact that they may originate in the neocortex, as well as the densely cell-packed cortex, located towards the top of the brain. These brain regions appear to mature and develop more slowly than other areas.
Although there are conflicting claims about possible Neanderthal creative abilities, no direct evidence supports that this extinct human species or subspecies possessed full-fledged grammatical language. Neanderthals had large brains, but researchers believe their mental skills matured rapidly, closing the door to disorders associated with the cortex.
Modern humans, on the other hand, must take the bad with the good.
"In a nutshell, I feel that the extremely long maturation time of our brains — greater than 20 years — allows them to develop many and various capabilities, such as language and schizophrenia," H. Lee Seldon, the theory’s author, told Discovery News.
Seldon, a senior lecturer and an expert on health informatics at Monash University in Australia, added, "Also, because of the long maturation time, environmental factors have more time to exert modifying influences on the final outcome."
He explained that if our brains stopped being modified at age 5, then "we would not have such well-developed language and we would likely not have so much schizophrenia."
Seldon, whose work has been accepted for publication in the journal Medical Hypotheses, believes three basic factors led to human language, creativity and certain mental disorders.
The first factor is a sex-linked gene that "steers brain development towards anatomical and functional asymmetry." A second genetic factor allows us to process fatty acids and produce large quantities of brain membranes, essentially permitting the growth of a big brain.
