The Evolution of the Prefrontal Cortex in Early Primates and Anthropoids

Early euprimates adapted to a nocturnal, arboreal life, with forward-facing eyes and limbs adapted for leaping and grasping. New prefrontal areas improved their ability to find, attend to, and choose food items based on updated biological needs, while new posterior parietal and premotor areas controlled movements in an extrinsic, visual frame of reference. Later, anthropoids used foveal, trichromatic vision to choose among distant foraging goals in daylight. Predation risks and shortfalls in necessary resources favored a reduction in foraging errors, and new prefrontal areas provided this advantage by generating goals from the memory of single events and via abstract strategies.