Sarto-Jackson Isabella
Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Eur J Neurosci. 2025 Jul;62(1):e70171. doi: 10.1111/ejn.70171.
Philosophy has long been debated for its relevance to natural sciences. Here, I exemplify how philosophy contributed to discourses in evolutionary biology concerning the concept of genes and traits. Rather than determining traits, genes influence the plastic development of traits. This dynamic view of traits is of high relevance when trait development depends on sensitive periods, because such interactionist processes link biological variability to environmental factors. I argue that neuroscience can also benefit from conceptual analysis employing philosophical questions. To this end, I use an interactionist approach discussing heterochrony that describes temporal changes of developmental events during evolution. A key example of heterochrony and developmental plasticity is the expansion of the human neocortex. Heterochrony manifests in prolongation of postnatal brain development in modern humans and retention of brain plasticity. Plasticity allows organisms to adapt to fluctuating environments typical for the human cognitive niche, thereby contributing to diversity. While periods of plasticity enable developmental variability, they also introduce the risk of neurodevelopmental aberrations, such as in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is characterized by an abnormal prolongation of neuroplasticity due to impaired excitatory/inhibitory balance and excessive synaptic pruning, especially in the prefrontal cortex. This "overpruning" combined with delayed maturation may contribute to the disorder's onset and progression. The interplay between environmental factors and neurodevelopment during sensitive periods is crucial in shaping the disease outcome. This interactionist reconceptualization challenges traditional gene-for-trait paradigms and advocates for a focus on developmental timing during different life stages to better understand the etiology of psychopathologies and potential intervention strategies.
长期以来，哲学与自然科学的相关性一直备受争议。在此，我举例说明哲学如何为进化生物学中有关基因和性状概念的论述做出贡献。基因并非决定性状，而是影响性状的可塑性发育。当性状发育取决于敏感期时，这种动态的性状观具有高度相关性，因为这种相互作用过程将生物变异性与环境因素联系起来。我认为神经科学也可以从运用哲学问题的概念分析中受益。为此，我采用一种相互作用论方法来讨论异时性，异时性描述了进化过程中发育事件的时间变化。异时性和发育可塑性的一个关键例子是人类新皮层的扩张。异时性表现为现代人类出生后脑发育的延长以及大脑可塑性的保留。可塑性使生物体能够适应人类认知生态位特有的波动环境，从而促进多样性。虽然可塑性时期允许发育变异性，但它们也带来了神经发育异常的风险，比如精神分裂症。精神分裂症的特征是由于兴奋性/抑制性平衡受损和过度的突触修剪，尤其是在额叶前部皮质，导致神经可塑性异常延长。这种“过度修剪”与延迟成熟相结合可能导致该疾病的发作和进展。敏感期内环境因素与神经发育之间的相互作用对于塑造疾病结果至关重要。这种相互作用论的重新概念化挑战了传统的基因决定性状范式，并主张关注不同生命阶段的发育时间，以更好地理解精神病理学的病因和潜在的干预策略。
