Phenotypic Plasticity, CYP19A1 Pleiotropy, and Maladaptive Selection in Developmental Disorders

J. Patrick Malone

SAGE Open, 2013, vol. 3, issue 2, 2158244013484476

Abstract: The contribution of evolutionary psychology to the study of development and psychopathology depends on adherence to the principles of evolutionary biology. The human brain evolved because selection favored neither size nor complexity but instead the phenotypic plasticity supporting cognitive flexibility. Cell proliferation, migration, elongation, synaptogenesis, synaptic pruning, apoptosis, and myelination occur at varying rates during asynchronous phases of development throughout the brain. Developmentally sensitive periods result from phenotypic plasticity and are vital for adaptation to the environment. The biological systems surrounding the CYP19A1 gene provide mechanisms for neuroprotection and targeted neuronal debridement in response to environmental stress, uniting selection with developmental biology. Updates to Dunbar’s original hypothesis with current primatological data, inclusion of total brain mass, and the introduction of CYP19A1 orthology from nine primate species yields a linear regression, R 2 = .994, adjusted R 2 = .989, F (3, 5) = 143.758, p

Keywords: autistogenesis; CYP19A1; plasticity; evolution; disorder (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:3:y:2013:i:2:p:2158244013484476

DOI: 10.1177/2158244013484476

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