A hypothesis of teleological evolution, via endogenous acetylcholine, nitric oxide, and calmodulin pathways.

The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) addresses the issues in evolutionary biology which cannot be explained by neo-Darwinian theory. The EES paradigm recognises teleology and agency in living systems, and identifies that organisms can directly affect their evolutionary trajectory in a goal-directed manner, yet the physiological pathways via which this occurs remain unidentified. Here, I propose a physiological pathway via which organisms can alter their genotype and phenotype by making behavioural decisions with respect their activity levels, partitioning of resources either toward growth, defence against disease, or their behavioural response to stressors.

A non-adaptationist hypothesis of play behaviour.

Play is a suite of apparently non-functional, pleasurable behaviours observed in human and non-human animals. Although the phenomenon has been studied extensively, no adaptationist behavioural theory of how play evolved can be supported by the available evidence. However, the advancement of the extended evolutionary synthesis and developments in systems biology offer alternative avenues for non-adaptationist physiological hypotheses.

Attention to faces in social context in children with neurofibromatosis type 1.

Aim: To examine visual attention to faces within social scenes in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and typically developing peers.

Method: Using eye-tracking technology we investigated the time taken to fixate on a face and the percentage of time spent attending to faces relative to the rest of the screen within social scenes in 24 children with NF1 (17 females, seven males; mean age 10y 4mo [SD 1y 9mo]). Results were compared with those of 24 age-matched typically developing controls (11 females, 13 males; mean age 10y 3mo [SD 2y]).

Facial emotion recognition, face scan paths, and face perception in children with neurofibromatosis type 1.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate face scan paths and face perception abilities in children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) and how these might relate to emotion recognition abilities in this population.

Method: The authors investigated facial emotion recognition, face scan paths, and face perception in 29 children with NF1 compared to 29 chronological age-matched typically developing controls. Correlations between facial emotion recognition, face scan paths, and face perception in children with NF1 were examined.