Embodied modeling of the organization of the brain

Abstract

In this study embodied embedded agents are evolved in order to gain a better understanding of aspects of the distribution of cognitive functions in the brain. We found that a symmetrical body plan facilitates the evolution of two hemispheres. Furthermore, individuals with an asymmetrical body plan, which gain an asymmetrical control structure, perform better in the end than individuals with a symmetrical body. This is in line with the idea that an asymmetrical nervous system yields computational benefits since it contains less redundant processes. Finally, we found that although the symmetrical individuals show a lower performance, their development is faster. We argue that this faster development is the result of reduced complexity of the control structure in comparison to asymmetrical individuals.