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Parallel evolutionary expansion of prefrontal projecting cerebellar lobules in primates
Brain, Behavior and Evolution
|July 30, 2026
Summary
Cognitive evolution in primates shows parallel expansion of a specific cerebellar region, Crus I, linked to complex behaviors like self-control. This targeted neural growth, not general brain enlargement, underpins cognitive convergence.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary Biology
- Primatology
Background:
- Complex cognitive abilities have evolved independently in primates.
- The neural basis for convergent behaviors remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cerebellar lobular expansion in relation to cognitive complexity across 51 primate species.
- To test hypotheses regarding posterior lobular expansion compared to the anterior lobe.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic comparative methods, including pANCOVA and AICc model comparison.
- Analysis of cerebellar lobular expansion in 103 primate specimens from 51 species.
Main Results:
- Parallel expansion of Crus I, a prefrontal-projecting lobule, was observed in cognitively complex platyrrhines and independently in cercopithecoids, apes, and humans.
- Lobule HVI, associated with motor functions, showed generalized expansion without specific convergent patterns.
- Relative Crus I size significantly correlates with behavioral measures of self-control (82% variance) and general cognition (50% variance).
Conclusions:
- Cognitive convergence in primates is associated with targeted expansion of prefronto-cerebellar circuits, specifically Crus I, rather than undifferentiated cerebellar growth.
- Heterochronic shifts in cerebellar development and extended juvenile periods may facilitate the refinement of these expanded circuits in cognitively complex lineages.
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