
霊長類における前頭葉の2つの領域(前頭極と背外側前頭前野)の大きさは、体重、1日の移動距離(生態的要因)、個体密度(社会的要因)によって最もよく説明される。前頭極は社会的要因と生態的要因の両方に強く関連しているのに対し、背外側前頭前野は生態的要因との関連が強い。


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The diversity of cognitive skills across primates remains both a fascinating and a controversial issue. Recent comparative studies provided conflicting results regarding the contribution of social vs ecological constraints to the evolution of cognition. Here, we used an interdisciplinary approach combining comparative cognitive neurosciences and behavioral ecology. Using brain imaging data from 16 primate species, we measured the size of two prefrontal brain regions, the frontal pole (FP) and the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), respectively involved in metacognition and working memory, and examined their relation to a combination of socio-ecological variables. The size of these prefrontal regions, as well as the whole brain, was best explained by three variables: body mass, daily traveled distance (an index of ecological constraints) and population density (an index of social constraints). The strong influence of ecological constraints on FP and DLPFC volumes suggests that both metacognition and working memory are critical for foraging in primates. Interestingly, FP volume was much more sensitive to social constraints than DLPFC volume, in line with laboratory studies showing an implication of FP in complex social interactions. Thus, our data highlights the relative weight of social vs ecological constraints on the evolution of specific prefrontal brain regions and their associated cognitive operations in primates.

Funding This work was supported by recurrent funding from CNRS to SB, SP and CG. It was also supported by the ANR-17-CE27-0005 (HOMTECH).

### Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Linking the evolution of two prefrontal brain regions to social and foraging challenges in primates

霊長類における2つの前頭葉領域の進化と社会的-採餌的課題との関連


霊長類における2つの前頭葉領域の進化と社会的・採餌的課題との関連
