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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Ageing Res Rev. 2015 Jan 7;0:37–45. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2014.12.011

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Images depicting the evolutionary basis for the importance of optimal brain function under conditions of food deprivation and physical exertion. Carnivorous animals in the wild, and our human ancestors, had to expend considerable effort to catch and kill prey. Advances in cognitive capabilities were driven, in large part, by the need to develop strategies and tools that enabled consistent success in the hunt for food. The upper image shows a tiger chasing two antelope (source: Wikemedia Commons). The lower image shows an American Indian hunting a bison (source: Wikipedia). In the case of the Indian, the human brain evolved the capabilities of making tools (bow and arrow), taming and training horses, and language for communication in planning and executing the hunt.