Sport and Successful Aging

Sport ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Schulkin
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
The Brain

What is clear is the richness of biology, culture, and deep relationships; sport reveals what makes us human in our biological evolution and in its modification and expansion into cultural evolution. An evolutionary perspective is one route to understanding sport; blended with our biology, culture fuels our capabilities. The evolution of the brain and other organ systems were vital steps in how we became able to do sport and how other hominoids did not. And research has now entered the arena of genetics and epigenetics in understanding sports capability.

The human brain: Chairman’s introduction

1981 ◽  
Vol 292 (1057) ◽  
pp. 151-153
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Internal Models ◽  
Adaptive Behaviour ◽  
Myelin Sheaths ◽  
The Brain

Much has been said at the symposium about the pre-eminent role of the brain in the continuing emergence of man. Tobias has spoken of its explosive enlargement during the last 1 Ma, and how much of its enlargement in individual ontogeny is postnatal. We are born before our brains are fully grown and ‘wired up ’. During our long adolescence we build up internal models of the outside world and of the relations of parts of our bodies to it and to one another. Neurons that are present at birth spread their dendrites and project axons which acquire their myelin sheaths, and establish innumerable contacts with other neurons, over the years. New connections are formed; genetically endowed ones are stamped in or blanked off. People born without arms may grow up to use their toes in skills that are normally manual. Tobias, Darlington and others have stressed the enormous survival value of adaptive behaviour and the ‘positive feedback’ relation between biological and cultural evolution. The latter, the unique product of the unprecedentedly rapid biological evolution of big brains, advances on a time scale unknown to biological evolution.

Précis of How the brain got language: The Mirror System Hypothesis

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 107-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Arbib
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Language Change ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Short Answer ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
The Brain

The short answer to the question of How the Brain Got Language is “through biological and cultural evolution.” The challenge is to be more specific. I use the term “the language-ready brain” to suggest that the brain of early Homo sapiens was adequate to support language but that it required tens of millennia for humans to be able to exploit these innate neural capabilities to develop, cumulatively, languages and the societies that made languages possible and necessary. The ability to surf the World Wide Web is a recent example of society's expanding ability to develop technologies and social structures which allow humans to exploit their neural capabilities in ways that were not part of the adaptive pressures for biological evolution.The two-fold challenge of the book, then, is to understand (i) what are the mechanisms of the language-ready brain and what adaptive pressures evolved them biologically; and (ii) how did those mechanisms support the emergence of language as well as modern-day patterns of language change, acquisition and use, and the social interactions which support them?

Complex imitation and the language-ready brain

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 273-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Arbib
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Mirror System ◽  
The Social ◽  
Language Emergence ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe present article responds to commentaries from experts in anthropology, apraxia, archeology, linguistics, neuroanatomy, neuroimaging, neurophysiology, neuropsychology, primatology, sign language emergence and sign language neurolinguistics on the book How the brain got language: The mirror system hypothesis (Arbib 2012). The role of complex imitation is discussed, and the distinction between protolanguage and language is emphasized. Issues debated include the role of protosign in scaffolding protospeech, the interplay between biological evolution of the brain and cultural evolution of the social interactions within groups, the relations brain mechanisms for action and language, and the question of when language first emerged.

scholarly journals The Evolution of Knowledge: Rethinking Science in the Anthropocene

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Jürgen Renn
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Global Society ◽  
Historical Epistemology ◽  
Key Concepts

Abstract The paper argues that humanity has entered a new stage of evolution: epistemic evolution. Just as cultural evolution emerged against the background of biological evolution, epistemic evolution began as an aspect of cultural evolution and now dominates the global fate of humanity. It is characterized by the increasing dependence of global society on the achievements and further extension of science and technology in order to ensure its sustainability in the age of the Anthropocene. The historical development of knowledge is reviewed from an evolutionary perspective that introduces key concepts of an historical epistemology.

scholarly journals Cytomegalovirus Infection and Inflammation in Developing Brain

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1078
Author(s):  
Fran Krstanović ◽  
William J. Britt ◽  
Stipan Jonjić ◽  
Ilija Brizić
Keyword(s):  
Cytomegalovirus Infection ◽  
Hcmv Infection ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Intraperitoneal Administration ◽  
Inflammatory Factors ◽  
Mcmv Infection ◽  
Newborn Mice ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Congenital Hcmv Infection ◽  
The Brain

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a highly prevalent herpesvirus that can cause severe disease in immunocompromised individuals and immunologically immature fetuses and newborns. Most infected newborns are able to resolve the infection without developing sequelae. However, in severe cases, congenital HCMV infection can result in life-threatening pathologies and permanent damage of organ systems that possess a low regenerative capacity. Despite the severity of the problem, HCMV infection of the central nervous system (CNS) remains inadequately characterized to date. Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) show strict species specificity, limiting the use of HCMV in experimental animals. Infection following intraperitoneal administration of mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) into newborn mice efficiently recapitulates many aspects of congenital HCMV infection in CNS. Upon entering the CNS, CMV targets all resident brain cells, consequently leading to the development of widespread histopathology and inflammation. Effector functions from both resident cells and infiltrating immune cells efficiently resolve acute MCMV infection in the CNS. However, host-mediated inflammatory factors can also mediate the development of immunopathologies during CMV infection of the brain. Here, we provide an overview of the cytomegalovirus infection in the brain, local immune response to infection, and mechanisms leading to CNS sequelae.

scholarly journals FOXP1 syndrome: a review of the literature and practice parameters for medical assessment and monitoring

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reymundo Lozano ◽  
Catherine Gbekie ◽  
Paige M. Siper ◽  
Shubhika Srivastava ◽  
Jeffrey M. Saland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Medical Assessment ◽  
Forkhead Box ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Practice Parameters ◽  
Assessment And Monitoring ◽  
Multidisciplinary Group ◽  
The Brain

AbstractFOXP1 syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations or deletions that disrupt the forkhead box protein 1 (FOXP1) gene, which encodes a transcription factor important for the early development of many organ systems, including the brain. Numerous clinical studies have elucidated the role of FOXP1 in neurodevelopment and have characterized a phenotype. FOXP1 syndrome is associated with intellectual disability, language deficits, autism spectrum disorder, hypotonia, and congenital anomalies, including mild dysmorphic features, and brain, cardiac, and urogenital abnormalities. Here, we present a review of human studies summarizing the clinical features of individuals with FOXP1 syndrome and enlist a multidisciplinary group of clinicians (pediatrics, genetics, psychiatry, neurology, cardiology, endocrinology, nephrology, and psychology) to provide recommendations for the assessment of FOXP1 syndrome.

scholarly journals How Good Are We At Evaluating Communicated Information?

2021 ◽  
Vol 89 ◽  
pp. 257-272
Author(s):  
Hugo Mercier
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Experimental Psychology ◽  
Political Campaigns ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
False Beliefs ◽  
Prior Beliefs ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Large Groups

AbstractAre we gullible? Can we be easily influenced by what others tell us, even if they do not deserve our trust? Many strands of research, from social psychology to cultural evolution suggest that humans are by nature conformist and eager to follow prestigious leaders. By contrast, an evolutionary perspective suggests that humans should be vigilant towards communicated information, so as not to be misled too often. Work in experimental psychology shows that humans are equipped with sophisticated mechanisms that allow them to carefully evaluate communicated information. These open vigilance mechanisms lead us to reject messages that clash with our prior beliefs, unless the source of the message has earned our trust, or provides good arguments, in which case we can adaptively change our minds. These mechanisms make us largely immune to mass persuasion, explaining why propaganda, political campaigns, advertising, and other attempts at persuading large groups nearly always fall in deaf ears. However, some false beliefs manage to spread through communication. I argue that most popular false beliefs are held reflectively, which means that they have little effect on our thoughts and behaviors, and that many false beliefs can be socially beneficial. Accepting such beliefs thus reflects a much weaker failure in our evaluation of communicated information than might at first appear.

CRYPTIC CAUSES AND MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN AGEING

INDIAN DRUGS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (01) ◽  
pp. 5-22
Author(s):  
K Challabotla ◽  
◽  
D Banji ◽  
O.J.F Banji ◽  
Chilipi K Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Metabolic Disorders ◽  
Natural Process ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Stress Theory ◽  
Biochemical Alterations ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
The Brain

Ageing is a natural process characterized by progressive deterioration of biological functions. Ageing causes both morphological as well as biochemical alterations in various body organs leading to deterioration of health. Proteins, enzymes and neurotransmitters are affected, which in turn can result in dysregulation of various pathways. WHO has reported that by 2020, three quarters of all deaths in developing countries will be age-associated. Currently more than 300 theories exist to explain the phenomenon of ageing; amongst them the oxidative stress theory of ageing is most studied and accepted for the molecular basis of ageing. All these processes can progress at an unprecedented pace on contact with triggering factors, leading to the development of pathological ageing. The probability of developing neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders is relatively high under such circumstances. This review emphasizes the theories and mechanisms of ageing and an overview on the aspects of age associated biochemical changes and the implications on the brain, liver and various organ systems.

scholarly journals An Evolutionary Perspective on the Importance of Community Relations for Quality of Life

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 588-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjørn Grinde
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Inherent Nature ◽  
The Brain

The evolutionary perspective is relevant for the study of quality of life in that the brain, including its capacity for positive and negative states of mind, has been shaped by the forces of evolution. The present text uses this perspective to discuss three questions related to the observation that human interactions are a particular important factor for well-being: (1) What is known about the inherent nature of our social propensities? (2) Is the present situation responsible for a suboptimal quality of life? (3) Are there alternatives to the organization of mainstream Western society? Based on this discussion, the question is raised as to whether it is possible to suggest improvements. Briefly, it seems possible to create conditions that enhance social relations and to the extent that happiness is considered an important objective, this is a relevant endeavor.

scholarly journals How culture and biology interact to shape language and the language faculty

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenny Smith
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Evolutionary Models ◽  
Language Faculty ◽  
Repeated Cycle ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Precise Relationship

Recent work suggests that linguistic structure develops through cultural evolution, as a consequence of the repeated cycle of learning and use by which languages persist. This work has important implications for our understanding of the evolution of the cognitive basis for language: in particular, human language and the cognitive capacities underpinning it are likely to have been shaped by co-evolutionary processes, where the cultural evolution of linguistic systems is shaped by and in turn shapes the biological evolution of the capacities underpinning language learning. I review several models of this co-evolutionary process, which suggest that the precise relationship between evolved biases in individuals and the structure of linguistic systems depends on the extent to which cultural evolution masks or unmasks individual-level cognitive biases from selection. I finish by discussing how these co-evolutionary models might be extended to cases where the biases involved in learning are themselves shaped by experience, as is the case for language.

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