Tradeoffs, genomic conflicts, and recent positive selection in the evolution of human cognitive architecture

人类认知结构进化中的权衡、基因组冲突和最近的积极选择

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-04208
• 负责人: Crespi, Bernard
• 金额: $ 6.48万
• 依托单位: Simon Fraser University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=737483
• 关键词: Tradeoffs; genomic; conflicts; recent; positive

Our research is designed to help us better understand how the human brain works, and how patterns of human neurodiversity (variation in mental traits) have evolved and are maintained. Three main projects will be conducted. Tradeoffs between human mental traits. Humans have extraordinary cognitive abilities, with regard to both social interactions with other humans, and with regard to non-social abilities such as visual-spatial skills and technology. We are collecting genetic data from large numbers of individuals for a set of genes that are expected to be involved in social and non-social cognition, to determine if alternative alleles and genotypes for such genes mediate social, relative to non-social, interests and skills. We are focusing especially on (1) genes that affect human empathy-related traits and skills, (2) genes that affect human science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related traits and skills, and (3) genes that have been associated with some mental disorders (especially autism and schizophrenia). The results are expected to be useful in understanding and fostering empathy, and technical skills, as well as in the understanding of the genetic causes of mental disorders. Genetic conflicts affecting human psychology. The human genome contains a set of so-called 'imprinted' genes that have been shown to exhibit forms of conflict with one another because they are inherited in different ways. Some of these genes influence infant birth weight, and infant feeding, in opposite directions, and thus have important impacts on health. Other such 'conflict' genes are expressed, and have their effects, in the human brain, and thus are expected to affect human mental traits, psychology, and behaviour. However, these 'brain conflict' genes have virtually never been studied in typical human populations, although they may be very important in neurodiversity and risks of some mental disorders. We are studying the effects of variation in these genes on a broad set of psychological traits in humans, to determine how, and how much, they impact upon human psychology. The results are expected to have important implications for understanding human mental well-being and psychiatric disorders. How human cognition is evolving. One of the biggest questions in science is how and why humans evolved to be so mentally complex and intelligence, relative to other animals. We will use a new approach to address this question, by studying brain-related genes that show evidence of being currently under natural selection in humans, and collecting data to determine what mental traits are being selected for. The results should provide novel insights into how human cognition has evolved, and is evolving.

我们的研究旨在帮助我们更好地了解人类大脑是如何工作的，以及人类神经多样性的模式（精神特征的变化）是如何进化和维持的。将开展三个主要项目。人类精神特质之间的权衡。人类具有非凡的认知能力，无论是与其他人的社会互动，还是非社会能力，如视觉空间技能和技术。我们正在从大量个体中收集一组预期参与社会和非社会认知的基因的遗传数据，以确定这些基因的替代等位基因和基因型是否介导社会（相对于非社会）兴趣和技能。我们特别关注（1）影响人类移情相关特征和技能的基因，（2）影响人类科学，技术，工程和药理学相关特征和技能的基因，以及（3）与某些精神障碍（特别是自闭症和精神分裂症）相关的基因。这些结果有望有助于理解和培养同理心和技术技能，以及理解精神障碍的遗传原因。基因冲突影响人类心理。人类基因组包含一组所谓的“印记”基因，这些基因被证明表现出相互冲突的形式，因为它们以不同的方式遗传。其中一些基因影响婴儿出生体重和婴儿喂养，方向相反，因此对健康有重要影响。其他这样的“冲突”基因在人类大脑中表达并产生影响，因此预计会影响人类的精神特征，心理和行为。然而，这些“大脑冲突”基因几乎从未在典型的人类群体中进行过研究，尽管它们可能在神经多样性和某些精神疾病的风险中非常重要。我们正在研究这些基因的变异对人类一系列心理特征的影响，以确定它们如何以及在多大程度上影响人类心理。这些结果有望对理解人类心理健康和精神疾病产生重要影响。人类认知是如何进化的。科学界最大的问题之一是，相对于其他动物，人类是如何以及为什么进化成如此复杂的心理和智力的。我们将使用一种新的方法来解决这个问题，通过研究与大脑相关的基因，这些基因显示出人类目前处于自然选择之下的证据，并收集数据以确定哪些精神特征正在被选择。这些结果应该为人类认知如何进化以及正在进化提供新的见解。