Rogier Mars

I explore what it is that makes brains the way they are. Primates, and especially humans, have exceptionally large brains for their body size. Between primates, brains differ in size and in their internal organisation. Why is this? I believe that each brain is an adaptation to the particular environment its owner lives in. I try to understand differences between brains as the result of deviations from ancestral brains that arose to deal with challenges in the environment. 

As part of this research program, we create and apply tools for quantitative comparative neuroscience. By describing different species brains in an abstract 'common space' we are able to show how their internal organization is similar or different. Applying these techniques to a large datasets of human and non-human imaging data has provided us with unique insights into the evolution of mammalian, primate, and human brains.

Apart from an interest in how these brains came about, our comparative research program also has direct relevance for translational neuroscience. Many results from so-called animal models translates poorly to the human brain. Using our comparative approach, we can try to find out what the limit of each model species is and predict how effects found in preclinical neuroscience will manifest in the human.