Cogprints

“UNER TAN SYNDROME” IN TWO TURKISH FAMILIES IN RELATION TO DEVOLUTION AND EMERGENCE OF HOMO ERECTUS: NEUROLOGICAL EXAMINATION, MRI AND PET SCANS

TAN, Prof. Dr. Üner and PENÇE, Dr. Sadrettin and YILMAZ, Dr. Mustafa and ÖZKUR, Dr. Ayhan and KARACA, Dr. Sibel and TAN, Dr. Meliha and KARATAŞ, Dr. Mehmet (2006) “UNER TAN SYNDROME” IN TWO TURKISH FAMILIES IN RELATION TO DEVOLUTION AND EMERGENCE OF HOMO ERECTUS: NEUROLOGICAL EXAMINATION, MRI AND PET SCANS. [Journal (Paginated)]

This is the latest version of this eprint.

Full text available as:

[img] PDF (Unertan Syndrome) - Published Version
4Mb
[img] PDF
4Mb

Abstract

“Uner Tan Syndrome” consists of two main symptoms: quadrupedal gait and primitive cognitive abilities including language and conscious experience. To assess the central mechanisms involved in this syndrome, we performed MRI and PET scans on affected and unaffected individuals from both families. All affected individuals were also subjected to neurological examination. To assess the integrity of the peripheral and central vestibular system, Barany’s caloric test was applied to the affected individuals. Brain MRI and PET scans were performed on normal subjects (N = 7) and patients (N = 7). Right- and left-cerebral and cerebellar areas, including the vermial and callosal areas, were measured on the MRI scans using a computer cursor. Quadrupedal gait, mental retardation, dysartric speech, nystagmus, severe truncal ataxia, hyperreflexia, astasia and abasia were observed in the affected individuals from both families. Cerebellum and vermis were atrophic in the MRI and PET scans of the first family. In contrast, the brain MRI seemed to be normal in the MRI and PET scans of affected individuals from the second family. The caloric test revealed central vestibular damage in patients from the first family and peripheral vestibular damage in patients from the second family. The results suggest that “Uner Tan Syndrome”, discovered in two unrelated families, may be caused by peripheral or central vestibular damage resulting from different genetic defects. Cerebellar hypoplasia may not be a prerequisite for the emergence of this syndrome. Primitive mental abilities may be explained by damage within the vestibulo-cerebellar system, while the quadrupedal gait may be due to a genetic defect within the higher brain centers that suppress the atavistic brain networks controlling quadrupedal gait and helped in the emergence of the habitual bipedal gait during human evolution. This retarded development of human locomotion –devolution- may illuminate the brain mechanisms responsible for the transition from quadrupedality to bipedality in human evolution.

Item Type:Journal (Paginated)
Keywords:Üner Tan Syndrome, quadrupedality, bipedality, MRI, PET, cerebellum, brain, devolution, reverse evolution
Subjects:Neuroscience > Neurology
Psychology > Evolutionary Psychology
ID Code:6362
Deposited By: Tan, Prof. Dr. Uner
Deposited On:04 Mar 2009 03:27
Last Modified:11 Mar 2011 08:57

Available Versions of this Item

References in Article

Select the SEEK icon to attempt to find the referenced article. If it does not appear to be in cogprints you will be forwarded to the paracite service. Poorly formated references will probably not work.

Bense, S., Deutschlaender, A., Stephan, Th., Bartenstein, P., Schwaiger, M., Brandt, Th.,

& Dieterich, M. (2004). Preserved visual-vestibular interaction in patients with

Bilateral Vestibular failure. Neurology, 63:122-128.

Earhart, G. M., & Bastian, A, J. (2001). Cerebellar gait ataxia: selection and coordination

of human Locomotor forms. Journal of Neurophysiology, 85:759-769.

Fiez, J. A., Peterson, S. E., Cheney, M.K., & Raichle, M. E. (1992). Impaired non-motor

learning and error detection associated with cerebellar damage. A single case

study. Brain, 115:155-178.

Leiner, H. C., Leiner, A. L., & Dow, R. S. (1993). Cognitive and language functions of the

Human cerebellum. Trends in Neurosciences, 16:444-447.

Leiner, H. C., Leiner, A.L., & Dow, R. S. (1995). The underestimated cerebellum. Human

Brain Mapping, 2:244-254.

Porter, M. L., & Crandall, K.A. (2003). Lost along the way: The significance of evolution

In reverse. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 18:541-547.

Schmahmann, J. D. (1991). An emergent concept: cerebellar contribution to higher

function. Archieves of Neurology, 48:1178-1187.

Schmahmann, J. D. (1996). From movement to thought: anatomic substrates of the

cerebellar contribution to cognitive processing. Human Brain Mapping, 4:174-198.

Tan, U. (2005a). Unertan sendromu ve insan ruhunun evrimine iliskin yeni bir

teori. Biyobank, e.B.D. 2.

Tan, U. (2005b). A new theory on the evolution of human mind; Unertan syndrome:

quadrupedality, primitive language, and severe mental retardation.

Neuroquantology, 4:250-255.

Tan, U. (2006a). A new syndrome with quadrupedal gait, primitive speech, and severe

mental retardation as a live model for human evolution. International Journal of

Neuroscience, 116:361-370.

Tan, U. (2006b). Evidence for “Unertan syndrome” and the evolution of the human

mind. International Journal of Neuroscience, 116:763-774.

Tan, U. (2006c). Evidence for Uner Tan Syndrome as a human model for reverse evolution.

International Journal of Neuroscience, 116, 1539-1547.

Tan, U., (2007). A wrist-walker exhibiting no “Uner Tan Syndrome“. International Journal

of Neuroscience, in press.

17

Tan, U., Tan, M., Polat, P., Ceylan, Y., Suma, S., & Okur, A. (1999). Magnetic resonance

imaging brain size/IQ relations in Turkish university students. Intelligence,

27:83-92.

Tan, U. (2007). A wrist-walker exhibiting no “Uner Tan Syndrome”. International

Journal of Neuroscience, in press.

Turkmen, S., Demirhan, O., Hoffmann, K., Diers, A., Zimmer, C., Sperling, K., & Mundlos, S.

(2006). Cerebellar hypoplasia and quadrupedal locomotion in humans as a

recessive trait mapping to chromosome 17p. Journal of Medical Genetics,

43:461-464.

Metadata

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Cogprints is powered by EPrints 3 which is developed by the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton. More information and software credits.