A theory of the origin of cerebral asymmetry: epigenetic variation superimposed on a fixed right-shift.
A theory of the genetic basis of cerebral asymmetry is outlined according to which (1) a single right-shift factor in all human individuals interacts with (2) epigenetic variation that is apparently random, transmissible between parent and child, but with a half-life extending over a small number of...
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2010
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| Summary: | A theory of the genetic basis of cerebral asymmetry is outlined according to which (1) a single right-shift factor in all human individuals interacts with (2) epigenetic variation that is apparently random, transmissible between parent and child, but with a half-life extending over a small number of generations. The right-shift factor arose late (150 to 200 thousand years ago [KYA]) in hominid evolution as a mutation in the X copy of a gene pair (Protocadherin 11XY) in a region of homology between the X and Y chromosomes created by a duplication 6MYA at the chimpanzee hominid separation. The epigenetic imprint originates in the process now known as "meiotic suppression of unpaired chromosomes" (MSUC); it reflects random pairing of partly homologous X and Y chromosome regions in male meiosis, and confers species-specific diversity of cerebral structure on the human population. |
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