Human Prefrontal Cortex

2021 ◽  
pp. 420-468
Author(s):  
Richard E. Passingham
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
High Fidelity ◽  
Arcuate Fasciculus ◽  
Semantic System ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Cortex Area ◽  
Cooperative Enterprises

Humans differ from their nearest relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos, in being predominantly right-handed. In the human brain handedness is also associated with an asymmetry in the arcuate fasciculus, favouring the left. This links the inferior parietal, superior and middle temporal cortex with area in the inferior caudal PF cortex (areas 44 and 45B), as well as the ventral PF cortex more anteriorly. There is activation in the inferior caudal PF cortex when subjects imitate, whether via gestures or speech; and damage to the arcuate fasciculus impairs the ability to repeat words. The ability to imitate gestures and sounds was essential for the evolution of learned communication. The left inferior caudal PF cortex (area 44) supports the sequences of speech, whether words, phrases, or sentences. The areas that are connected by the left arcuate fasciculus also support the semantic system. The ability to teach in sentences means that knowledge and skills can be passed on with high fidelity from one generation to another. It also aids communication on cooperative enterprises. The need to cooperate has also led to pressure to be able to understand the intentions of others, and the medial PF cortex forms part of the system that makes this possible. Cooperation requires that individuals obey social and moral rules, and damage to the medial and polar PF cortex impairs the ability to do this.

scholarly journals Asymmetric projections of the arcuate fasciculus to the temporal cortex underlie lateralized language function in the human brain

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigetoshi Takaya ◽  
Gina R. Kuperberg ◽  
Hesheng Liu ◽  
Douglas N. Greve ◽  
Nikos Makris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Language Function ◽  
Arcuate Fasciculus

scholarly journals Early continuity in neuronal correlates of mentalizing: ALE meta-analyses in adults, children and youths

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn V. Fehlbaum ◽  
Réka Borbás ◽  
Katharina Paul ◽  
Nora Maria Raschle
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Inferior Temporal Cortex ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Right Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Meta Analyses

The ability to understand mental states of others is known as Theory of Mind or mentalizing. Neuroimaging studies in adults have reported activation increases in medial prefrontal, inferior frontal, temporoparietal cortices and precuneus during mentalizing. In children/youths, activation in some areas of this social brain network are suggested to develop early, while other areas mature later. We compared neuroimaging evidence in children/youths and adults during mentalizing using coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses to inform about brain regions consistently or differentially engaged across age. Healthy adults (N=5286) recruited medial prefrontal and middle/inferior frontal cortices, precuneus, temporoparietal junction and middle temporal gyri during mentalizing, which were functionally connected to bilateral inferior/superior parietal lobule and thalamus/striatum. Children and youths (N=479) recruited similar, but fewer regions, including temporoparietal junction, precuneus, medial prefrontal and middle temporal cortices. Subgroup analyses revealed an early continuous engagement of middle medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and right temporoparietal junction in children (8–11y) and youths (12–18y). Youths additionally recruited the left temporoparietal junction and middle/inferior temporal cortex. Overall, the observed continuous engagement of the medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and right temporoparietal junction during mentalizing across all ages reflects an early specialization of some of the key social brain regions.

scholarly journals SNAP-25a/b Isoform Levels in Human Brain Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex and Anterior Cingulate Cortex

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 220-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Thompson ◽  
Dianne A. Cruz ◽  
Elizabeth A. Fucich ◽  
Dianna Y. Olukotun ◽  
Masami Takahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

scholarly journals Organization of cortico-cortical pathways supporting memory retrieval across subregions of the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 920-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Barredo ◽  
Timothy D. Verstynen ◽  
David Badre
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Functional Network ◽  
High Angular Resolution ◽  
Connectivity Analysis ◽  
Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Connectivity Analysis

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) evidence indicates that different subregions of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) participate in distinct cortical networks. These networks have been shown to support separable cognitive functions: anterior VLPFC [inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) pars orbitalis] functionally correlates with a ventral fronto-temporal network associated with top-down influences on memory retrieval, while mid-VLPFC (IFG pars triangularis) functionally correlates with a dorsal fronto-parietal network associated with postretrieval control processes. However, it is not known to what extent subregional differences in network affiliation and function are driven by differences in the organization of underlying white matter pathways. We used high-angular-resolution diffusion spectrum imaging and functional connectivity analysis in unanesthetized humans to address whether the organization of white matter connectivity differs between subregions of VLPFC. Our results demonstrate a ventral-dorsal division within IFG. Ventral IFG as a whole connects broadly to lateral temporal cortex. Although several different individual white matter tracts form connections between ventral IFG and lateral temporal cortex, functional connectivity analysis of fMRI data indicates that these are part of the same ventral functional network. By contrast, across subdivisions, dorsal IFG was connected with the midfrontal gyrus and correlated as a separate dorsal functional network. These qualitative differences in white matter organization within larger macroanatomical subregions of VLPFC support prior functional distinctions among these regions observed in task-based and functional connectivity fMRI studies. These results are consistent with the proposal that anatomical connectivity is a crucial determinant of systems-level functional organization of frontal cortex and the brain in general.

scholarly journals Subjective value and decision entropy are jointly encoded by aligned gradients across the human brain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Bobadilla-Suarez ◽  
Olivia Guest ◽  
Bradley C. Love
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Retrospective Evaluation ◽  
Systematic Fashion ◽  
Subjective Value ◽  
Fmri Analysis ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain

AbstractRecent work has considered the relationship between value and confidence in both behavior and neural representation. Here we evaluated whether the brain organizes value and confidence signals in a systematic fashion that reflects the overall desirability of options. If so, regions that respond to either increases or decreases in both value and confidence should be widespread. We strongly confirmed these predictions through a model-based fMRI analysis of a mixed gambles task that assessed subjective value (SV) and inverse decision entropy (iDE), which is related to confidence. Purported value areas more strongly signalled iDE than SV, underscoring how intertwined value and confidence are. A gradient tied to the desirability of actions transitioned from positive SV and iDE in ventromedial prefrontal cortex to negative SV and iDE in dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. This alignment of SV and iDE signals could support retrospective evaluation to guide learning and subsequent decisions.

scholarly journals Neural Systems for Memory-based Value Judgment and Decision-making

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1896-1923
Author(s):  
Avinash R. Vaidya ◽  
David Badre
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Judgment And Decision Making ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Memory Strength ◽  
Life Choices ◽  
Value Judgment ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Schematic Knowledge

Real-life choices often require that we draw inferences about the value of options based on structured, schematic knowledge about their utility for our current goals. Other times, value information may be retrieved directly from a specific prior experience with an option. In an fMRI experiment, we investigated the neural systems involved in retrieving and assessing information from different memory sources to support value-based choice. Participants completed a task in which items could be conferred positive or negative value based on schematic associations (i.e., schema value) or learned directly from experience via deterministic feedback (i.e., experienced value). We found that ventromedial pFC (vmPFC) activity correlated with the influence of both experience- and schema-based values on participants' decisions. Connectivity between the vmPFC and middle temporal cortex also tracked the inferred value of items based on schematic associations on the first presentation of ingredients, before any feedback. In contrast, the striatum responded to participants' willingness to bet on ingredients as a function of the unsigned strength of their memory for those options' values. These results argue that the striatum and vmPFC play distinct roles in memory-based value judgment and decision-making. Specifically, the vmPFC assesses the value of options based on information inferred from schematic knowledge and retrieved from prior direct experience, whereas the striatum controls a decision to act on options based on memory strength.

scholarly journals Neurological Soft Signs and Brain Network Abnormalities in Schizophrenia

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 562-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Kong ◽  
Christina J Herold ◽  
Eric F C Cheung ◽  
Raymond C K Chan ◽  
Johannes Schröder
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Orbital Frontal Cortex ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Neurological Soft Signs ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Neurological soft signs (NSS) are often found in patients with schizophrenia. A wealth of neuroimaging studies have reported that NSS are related to disturbed cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuitry in schizophrenia. However, the association between NSS and brain network abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia remains unclear. In this study, the graph theoretical approach was used to analyze brain network characteristics based on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. NSS were assessed using the Heidelberg scale. We found that there was no significant difference in global network properties between individuals with high and low levels of NSS. Regional network analysis showed that NSS were associated with betweenness centrality involving the inferior orbital frontal cortex, the middle temporal cortex, the hippocampus, the supramarginal cortex, the amygdala, and the cerebellum. Global network analysis also demonstrated that NSS were associated with the distribution of network hubs involving the superior medial frontal cortex, the superior and middle temporal cortices, the postcentral cortex, the amygdala, and the cerebellum. Our findings suggest that NSS are associated with alterations in topological attributes of brain networks corresponding to the cortical-subcortical-cerebellum circuit in patients with schizophrenia, which may provide a new perspective for elucidating the neural basis of NSS in schizophrenia.

scholarly journals Associations of Vitamin D and Vitamin K and Their Metabolites Across Four Regions of the Human Brain: The Memory and Aging Project (MAP) (FS05-02-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueyan Fu ◽  
Will Patterson ◽  
Gregory Dolnikowski ◽  
Bess Dawson-Hughes ◽  
Martha Morris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Vitamin K ◽  
Vitamin D3 ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Multiple Regions ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Objectives Very little is known about the forms of vitamin D and vitamin K in the human brain. The objective of this study is to evaluate concentrations of vitamin D and vitamin K forms in human brain and their correlations across four human brain regions. Methods Vitamin D [D3, 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D] and vitamin K [phylloquinone and menaquinone-4 (MK4)] concentrations were measured by LC/MS/MS and HPLC, respectively, in four brain regions from post-mortem samples obtained from participants in the Rush Memory and Aging Project (n = 130, mean age 82 yrs, 81% female). The brain regions analyzed were the mid-frontal cortex (MF) and mid-temporal cortex (MT) [two regions important for memory in Alzheimer's Disease (AD)], the cerebellum (CR, a region not affected by AD), and the anterior watershed white matter (AWS, a region associated with vascular disease). The correlations among the vitamin forms across brain regions were calculated using Spearman rank order correlation coefficients. Significance was set at P < 0.001. Results The average concentrations of vitamin D3, 25(OH)D and MK4 were 604 pg/g, 535 pg/g, and 3.4 pmol/g, respectively. 25(OH)D and MK4 were detected in >95% of the brain samples. Nearly 92% of 1,25(OH)2D and 80% of phylloquinone samples had concentrations below the limit of assay detection (LOD) 1,25(OH)2D = 20 ng/g, phylloquinone = 0.1 pmol/g). Vitamin D3 and 25(OH)D concentrations were positively correlated across all four regions (all Spearman r ≥ 0.78, P < 0.0001). The 1,25(OH)2D was significantly correlated between the MF and CR regions only (Spearman r = 0.30, P < 0.001, all other P ≥ 0.002). MK4 and PK were positively correlated across the four regions studied (MK4 all Spearman r ≥ 0.78, phylloquinone r ≥ 0.49, all P < 0.001). Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first evaluation of the concentrations of vitamin D and vitamin K forms in multiple regions of the human brain. Overall, the vitamin D and vitamin K forms were each positively correlated across the four brain regions studied. Future studies are needed to clarify the roles of these nutrients in AD and dementia. Funding Sources National Institute of Aging.

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