黑猩猩和人类一样，在复杂认知功能中发挥关键作用的大脑区域在出生时都是不成熟的，但不同之处是黑猩猩幼仔的额叶白质扩增的不像人类婴儿那么快。
与人类一样，黑猩猩出生时的前额皮层是不成熟的
研究的结论发表在8月11日Current Biology 期刊上，这是第一次追踪了黑猩猩幼仔的大脑发育过程，也是第一次与人类婴儿的发育过程做比较。
京都大学Tetsuro Matsuzawa 称，大大扩增的前额叶皮层体现出人类特有的认知特征（最显著的遗传变化之一），同时也是最晚发育的大脑区域之一。
大脑的发育延迟提供一段可塑性时期，在这一时期内，人类和黑猩猩根据生活经历形成复杂的社会关系、知识和技能。
Matsuzawa说，人类和黑猩猩都需要使自身的神经网络和大脑功能更容易受到后天经历的影响。
他补充道，微笑和互相注视的共同神情表现出人类和黑猩猩的亲缘关系，另一方面，大脑中极大扩增的前额皮层有助于形成人类特有的语言、复杂社会关系和其它能力。
利用核磁共振成像扫描技术，Matsuzawa 研究小组观察了青春期前的3只黑猩猩（从6个月到6岁）。
Matsuzawa说，他的研究小组对探索大脑发育特征的进化历程表现出兴趣，也希望探索人类和黑猩猩在青春期时的差别（黑猩猩在11岁时进入青春期末）。（生物探索译 Pobee）
生物探索推荐：
生物探索推荐英文摘要
Abstract：A comparison of developmental patterns of white matter (WM) within the prefrontal region between humans and nonhuman primates is key to understanding human brain evolution. WM mediates complex cognitive processes and has reciprocal connections with posterior processing regions [1,2]. Although the developmental pattern of prefrontal WM in macaques differs markedly from that in humans [3], this has not been explored in our closest evolutionary relative, the chimpanzee. The present longitudinal study of magnetic resonance imaging scans demonstrated that the prefrontal WM volume in chimpanzees was immature and had not reached the adult value during prepuberty, as observed in humans but not in macaques. However, the rate of prefrontal WM volume increase during infancy was slower in chimpanzees than in humans. These results suggest that a less mature and more protracted elaboration of neuronal connections in the prefrontal portion of the developing brain existed in the last common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans, and that this served to enhance the impact of postnatal experiences on neuronal connectivity. Furthermore, the rapid development of the human prefrontal WM during infancy may help the development of complex social interactions, as well as the acquisition of experience-dependent knowledge and skills to shape neuronal connectivity.
