Fossil evidence favors a role for vision in the modular evolution of the primate neocortex

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Kay, Richard F.; Organ, Chris L.; Morse, Paul E.; Allen, Kari L.; Kirk, E. Christopher
• 署名单位: Duke University; Duke University; Montana State University System; Montana State University Bozeman; University of Colorado System; University of Colorado Anschutz; State University System of Florida; University of Florida; Des Moines University; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aee3541
• 发表日期: 2026-08-06
• 页码: 622-627
• 关键词: BRAIN STRUCTURE VOLUMES; optic-nerve; phylogenetic analysis; CRANIAL ANATOMY; cerebral-cortex; morphology; AEGYPTOPITHECUS; mammals; quantification; specialization

摘要

Neocortical expansion is a key innovation of crown primates, although fossil evidence for how the neocortex has evolved remains elusive. We studied neocortical evolution using virtual brain endocasts from extant and Eocene-Miocene fossil primates. We found that neocortex size increased in parallel across crown primate clades, with rapid increases in tarsiers and anthropoids. Although the frontal lobe is commonly described as having expanded disproportionately in primates, we show that it evolved gradually, following a common pattern for allometric scaling. By contrast, nonfrontal neocortical regions underwent rapid increases relative to brain size in haplorhines. Neocortical expansion occurred in concert with increases in optic foramen area, suggesting that visual sensory inputs are functionally tied to modular evolution of the primate neocortex.