The Human Brain Is Actually Two Organs, Study Shows
A recent study finds the human brain develops from two separate organs, not one.
The study challenges the outdated triune "reptilian brain" theory of brain evolution.
This discovery could lead to novel treatments for brain diseases and disorders.
It is widely accepted in neuroscience and medicine that the human brain is a single organ. However, recent research led by Stanford Medicine displays results that are contrary to this long-held scientific belief. A new study published in the science journal Nature Neuroscience suggests that the human brain emerged from two separate organs, a discovery that may impact future treatment options for neurodegenerative diseases and brain disorders.
This study was led by senior author and Stanford associate professor Kyle Loh and conducted by co-first authors Carolyn Dundes and Rayyan Jokhai, along with a team of researchers from Stanford University, the University of California, San Francisco, and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.
The average person might find this reasonable; after all, it is well known that the cerebrum consists of two hemispheres, a right brain and a left brain. However, those are not the two areas that the researchers are referring to in this study. Instead, the two organs are a combination of the forebrain and midbrain serving as a unit, and the hindbrain.
In neuroanatomy, the brain has three major regions: the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. The largest part of the adult human brain, the forebrain, is located in the front part of........
