Evolutionary road to primate prefrontal cortex

The prefrontal cortex of primates, the most anterior portion of the brain, is mostly composed of homotypical cortex with a clear granule cell layer. Despite controversy about the extent to which rodents have a homolog of this area, it is generally accepted that prefrontal cortex performs advanced cognitive functions, including many that are specific to primates. In this chapter, we discuss the experiments that led to this understanding, describe the rich and ongoing debate about how to define prefrontal cortex, survey the major anatomical and functional regions that compose the prefrontal cortex in anthropoids, and situate our conclusions about the evolution of this area in the larger context of brain scaling.