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Cited by 127Primate Behavior and EcologyVisual perception and processing mechanismsEvolution and Paleontology Studies

Binocularity and brain evolution in primates

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Barton, R. A.·2004·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.0401955101PMC PMC454173
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Abstract

Primates are distinguished by frontally directed, highly convergent orbits, which are associated with stereoscopic vision. Although stereoscopic vision requires specialized neural mechanisms, its implications for brain evolution are unknown. Using phylogenetic comparative analysis, I show that evolutionary increases among primate taxa in the degree of orbital convergence correlate with expansion of visual brain structures and, as a consequence, with the overall size of the brain. This pattern is found across the whole primate order and is also repeated within each of the two major primate subtaxa. The visual expansion associated with increased binocularity is specific to the parvocellular visual pathway, consistent with recent evidence implicating this pathway in fine-grained stereopsis. The results support the hypothesis that brain size evolution in primates was associated with visual specialization.

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  • Each of many dimensions of behavioural ecology has been shown to correlate with brain size and/or with a specific and relevant aspect of brain structure.

    “Each of these and other dimensions of behavioural ecology has been shown to correlate with the brain size and/or with a specific and relevant aspect of brain structure [14–20].”

    From Embodied cognitive evolution and the cerebellum (2012) · cites this paper as [20]

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Authors
Barton, R. A.
Affiliations
Durham University (GB)
Corresponding author
Barton, R. A.
ORCID
Barton, R. A.
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2004-06-15
Volume
101
Issue
27
Pages
10113-10115
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.0401955101
PMC
PMC454173
OpenAlex
W1589710860
Cited by
127
References
24
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 5 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 13
FWCI
9.25
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Durham Research Online (Durham University) (acceptedVersion)
  • Durham Research Online (Durham University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
Keywords
binocular vision, stereo vision, brain size evolution, primate brain evolution, phylogenetic comparative analysis
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Depth Perception, Biological Evolution, Orbit, Primates, Regression Analysis, Visual Pathways

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