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Monkeys and rats are two of the most popular animals that humans use for research and experimentation. Since rats are not as close to humans as monkeys are, using them can be limiting. In a new study, researchers examined the brains of baboons with the hopes of understanding human brain evolution. The researchers reporting finding new insight regarding the evolution of the human brain based on their analyses of the baboon's brain.

"The evolution of the human brain over time is a very complex process," Elizabeth Atkinson, of Washington University in St. Louis, said in a Society for Neuroscience news release. "Our study connects the folding of the brain with the underlying genetics, and provides unique insight into how the evolution of our genes has driven the shape, and ultimately the function, of our brains."

For this study, the researchers analyzed around 1,000 baboon brain scans. The team was focused on finding out the genetics behind the development of folds in the human brain, which has remained a mystery to researchers. The researchers of this study explained that as the human brain evolved, there was an increase in the number of brain cells and connections. The folds that lead to ridges and valleys in the brain are a result of the combination of the increase in brain cells and the confining structure of the skull in relation to a woman's birth canal. The human brain has roughly 30 percent more folds than the brains of chimpanzees, which are considered the closet animals to humans. The research team identified numerous chromosome segments and genes that appear to be responsible for how the brain folds. However, more research still needs to be done to fully understand the genetics behind brain folds.

The study's findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, CA.