Origin of Intelligence and Mental Illness Linked to Ancient Genetic Accident
It seems that we pay a price for our high intelligence, and that is mental illness. Researchers are suggesting that around 500 million years ago a terrific accident happened. An invertibrate mistakenly copied extra amounts of "brain" genes. These extra genes gave its ancestors a competitive advantage, and allowed them to exhibit complex behavior.
The researchers had humans and mice do comparative tasks using a touch screen, and combined the results with information form the genetic codes of various species to work out when different behavior evolved. What they found was that the higher mental functions in humans and mice were controlled by the same genes. What they also found was that when thee same genes were mutated or damaged, it impaired higher mental functions.
This shows that as a result of having more genes related to intelligence, we have more places for mutation or damage to occur, giving us an increased risk at having mental illness.
While this seems like a totally negative thing, we have a lot to thank for our mental issues. For one, many of the greatest thinkers have had some form of mental condition, with researchers speculating that Da Vinci, Newton, Tesla, and Einstein all may have had aspergers, a mild form of autism. Without these minds, the world would be much different today. Also, we learn a lot from people that have mental illness. When one part of the brain is impaired it gives us a better understanding of what that region is responsible for, and how our brains can try to compensate for a deficiency.
So maybe mental illness, as much as a price to pay for intelligence, also provides a source of knowledge and much needed diversity in thinking.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121202164325.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121202164325.htm
I agree with this notion that some forms of mental illness have the potential for greater diversity in intellectual thinking. This possible mutation in one’s genetic signature allows for a break from “standard” outlooks on the world, and therefore opens the door to new ideas, whether it be artistically or academically. Most interestingly, the concept of compensation even furthers the potential for new routes of intelligence to be made known. Just as with autism, one area may be lacking, however another may have the capability of what many would consider as “gifted”. Alternatively, if this is not the case, there is opportunity for much study into the workings of the human mind and behavior.
ReplyDeleteThis actually reminds me of a study I read about that actually found a positive correlation between IQ and depression within the human species. The study you show here actually offers an explanation as to why that could be. However, I have heard of dogs being prescribed anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication. I would be curious to see some studies related to this and what factors could account for mental illness in dogs. This would be consistent with this experiment's hypothesis if the rate of mental illness in dogs was higher than mice, but lower than humans.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heather in that what we consider mental illness is could simply be the result of another component of genetic diversity that may be seen as abnormal or maladaptive due to social constructions. Granted, many mental illnesses are labeled as such because they impair individuals’ lives in significant ways, but in a broader sense, people with certain “disorders” may contribute more to society than those without.
ReplyDeleteI also think the main concept is rather informative. That is, those more complex beings can “go wrong” in more ways. However, I think this may in some ways contribute to our growing complexity as it not only furthers genetic diversity but allows our brains (as a species) to develop ways of coping with these abnormalities.
This is a very interesting find. The fact that the human brain and the brain of a mouse are so similar in the way that they are activated is quite strange. Humans and mice are very different in many ways and the same genes activate similar parts of our brains to perform tasks. Evolution of the brain shows that there has been mutations of the brain all throughout history, but at what point does mutation go from being beneficial to being detrimental. You discussed some of the great thinkers of the past who have been rumored to have had some mental illnesses, but do you think that these minds had more cognitive "power" than say the mind of a person who didn't have a mental illness. Could a person who was completely normal have come up with Einstein's theories, eventually?
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