Groovy Brain

Our brain is divided into two halves called hemispheres. Covering these hemispheres is the cerebral cortex – a thin, wrinkly outer layer of grey matter. The cerebral cortex is responsible for complex functions such as memory, language, judgement, creativity and emotions. By using software that colour-codes and maps the shape of the cerebral cortex, researchers found that the geometry of the 3D shape of the cerebral cortex is associated with an individual’s ancestral background. Europe, West Africa, East Asia and Native America were all used as ancestral references and, in the cortex, subtle differences between these lineages were seen to be focused in certain areas, mainly in the distinctive folding patterns and grooves of the cerebral cortex. These differences in folding had no impact on functional or cognitive abilities of the individual. This insight could lead to a more personalised approach for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the brain.

Written by Katie Panteli

Katie Panteli

Writer

Katie, a Warwick Biomed graduate, works for a science-publishing house in London with some of the world's most respected scientific minds. She's most interested in human biology, anything and everything that makes us tick.

• Image from work by Chun Chieh Fan and colleagues
• University of California, San Diego, USA
• Copyright Elsevier 2015
• Published in Current Biology, July 2015