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Biological Psychiatry Apr 2018The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has been implicated in a variety of social, cognitive, and affective functions that are commonly disrupted in mental illness.... (Review)
Review
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has been implicated in a variety of social, cognitive, and affective functions that are commonly disrupted in mental illness. In this review, we summarize data from a diverse array of human and animal studies demonstrating that the vmPFC is a key node of cortical and subcortical networks that subserve at least three broad domains of psychological function linked to psychopathology. One track of research indicates that the vmPFC is critical for the representation of reward- and value-based decision making, through interactions with the ventral striatum and amygdala. A second track of research demonstrates that the vmPFC is critical for the generation and regulation of negative emotion, through its interactions with the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, periaqueductal gray, hippocampus, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. A third track of research shows the importance of the vmPFC in multiple aspects of social cognition, such as facial emotion recognition, theory-of-mind ability, and processing self-relevant information, through its interactions with the posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, dorsomedial PFC, and amygdala. We then present meta-analytic data revealing distinct subregions within the vmPFC that correspond to each of these three functions, as well as the associations between these subregions and specific psychiatric disorders (depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, addiction, social anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). We conclude by describing several translational possibilities for clinical studies of vmPFC-based circuits, including neuropsychological assessment of transdiagnostic functions, anatomical targets for intervention, predictors of treatment response, markers of treatment efficacy, and subtyping within disorders.
Topics: Animals; Decision Making; Emotions; Facial Recognition; Humans; Mental Disorders; Prefrontal Cortex; Reward; Social Perception; Theory of Mind
PubMed: 29275839
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.10.030 -
Neuron Jun 2021The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is considered to constitute the highest stage of neural integration and to be devoted to representation and production of actions. Studies in... (Review)
Review
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is considered to constitute the highest stage of neural integration and to be devoted to representation and production of actions. Studies in primates have laid the foundation for theories regarding the principles of prefrontal function and provided mechanistic insights. The recent surge of studies of the PFC in mice holds promise for evolvement of present theories and development of novel concepts, particularly regarding principles shared across mammals. Here we review recent empirical work on the mouse PFC capitalizing on the experimental toolbox currently privileged to studies in this species. We conclude that this line of research has revealed cellular and structural distinctions of the PFC and neuronal activity with direct relevance to theories regarding the functions of the PFC. We foresee that data-rich mouse studies will be key to shed light on the general prefrontal architecture and mechanisms underlying cognitive aspects of organized actions.
Topics: Animals; Cognition; Electrophysiological Phenomena; Gene Expression Profiling; Mice; Models, Animal; Neural Pathways; Neurons; Prefrontal Cortex; Transcriptome
PubMed: 33894133
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.03.035 -
International Review of Neurobiology 2021Across species, the medial prefrontal cortex guides actions in time. This process can be studied using behavioral paradigms such as simple reaction-time and... (Review)
Review
Across species, the medial prefrontal cortex guides actions in time. This process can be studied using behavioral paradigms such as simple reaction-time and interval-timing tasks. Temporal control of action can be influenced by prefrontal neurotransmitters such as dopamine and acetylcholine and is highly relevant to human diseases such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We review evidence that across species, medial prefrontal lesions impair the temporal control of action. We then consider neurophysiological correlates in humans, primates, and rodents that might encode temporal processing and relate to cognitive-control mechanisms. These data have informed brain-stimulation studies in rodents and humans that can compensate for timing deficits. This line of work illuminates basic mechanisms of temporal control of action in the medial prefrontal cortex, which underlies a range of high-level cognitive processing and could contribute to new biomarkers and therapies for human brain diseases.
Topics: Animals; Electronic Data Processing; Humans; Prefrontal Cortex; Primates; Rodentia; Time Factors
PubMed: 33785154
DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.11.004 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Oct 1996In this article I discuss a hypothesis, known as the somatic marker hypothesis, which I believe is relevant to the understanding of processes of human reasoning and... (Review)
Review
In this article I discuss a hypothesis, known as the somatic marker hypothesis, which I believe is relevant to the understanding of processes of human reasoning and decision making. The ventromedial sector of the prefrontal cortices is critical to the operations postulated here, but the hypothesis does not necessarily apply to prefrontal cortex as a whole and should not be seen as an attempt to unify frontal lobe functions under a single mechanism. The key idea in the hypothesis is that 'marker' signals influence the processes of response to stimuli, at multiple levels of operation, some of which occur overtly (consciously, 'in mind') and some of which occur covertly (non-consciously, in a non-minded manner). The marker signals arise in bioregulatory processes, including those which express themselves in emotions and feelings, but are not necessarily confined to those alone. This is the reason why the markers are termed somatic: they relate to body-state structure and regulation even when they do not arise in the body proper but rather in the brain's representation of the body. Examples of the covert action of 'marker' signals are the undeliberated inhibition of a response learned previously; the introduction of a bias in the selection of an aversive or appetitive mode of behaviour, or in the otherwise deliberate evaluation of varied option-outcome scenarios. Examples of overt action include the conscious 'qualifying' of certain option-outcome scenarios as dangerous or advantageous. The hypothesis rejects attempts to limit human reasoning and decision making to mechanisms relying, in an exclusive and unrelated manner, on either conditioning alone or cognition alone.
Topics: Choice Behavior; Decision Making; Decision Theory; Emotions; Gambling; Humans; Logic; Models, Biological; Neural Pathways; Neuropsychological Tests; Prefrontal Cortex
PubMed: 8941953
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.1996.0125 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Sep 2023Convergent studies corroborated the idea that the right prefrontal cortex is the crucial brain region responsible for inhibiting our actions. However, which sub-regions... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Convergent studies corroborated the idea that the right prefrontal cortex is the crucial brain region responsible for inhibiting our actions. However, which sub-regions of the right prefrontal cortex are involved is still a matter of debate. To map the inhibitory function of the sub-regions of the right prefrontal cortex, we performed Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analyses and meta-regressions (ES-SDM) of fMRI studies exploring inhibitory control. Sixty-eight studies (1684 subjects, 912 foci) were identified and divided in three groups depending on the incremental demand. Overall, our results showed that higher was the inhibitory demand based on the individual differences in performances, more the upper portion of the right prefrontal cortex was activated to achieve a successful inhibition. Conversely, a lower demand of the inhibitory function, was associated with the inferior portions of the right prefrontal cortex recruitment. Notably, in the latter case, we also observed activation of areas associated with working memory and responsible for cognitive strategies.
Topics: Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Prefrontal Cortex; Brain; Memory, Short-Term; Brain Mapping
PubMed: 37327836
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105285 -
Progress in Brain Research 2019The prefrontal cortex consists of several cytoarchitectonically defined areas that are involved in higher-order cognitive and emotional processing. The areas are highly... (Review)
Review
The prefrontal cortex consists of several cytoarchitectonically defined areas that are involved in higher-order cognitive and emotional processing. The areas are highly variable in terms of organization of cortical layers and distribution of specific neuronal classes, and are affected in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Here the focus is on microstructural anatomical characteristics of human prefrontal cortex in an evolutionary context with special emphasis on Williams syndrome. We include a pilot analysis of distribution of neurons labeled with an antibody to non-phosphorylated neurofilament protein (SMI-32) in the frontal pole of Williams syndrome to further examine microstructural characteristics of the prefrontal cortex in Williams syndrome and implications of the distribution of SMI-32 immunoreactive neurons for connectivity between the frontal pole and other cortical areas in the disorder.
Topics: Biological Evolution; Humans; Nerve Net; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Prefrontal Cortex; Williams Syndrome
PubMed: 31703898
DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.05.003 -
Current Biology : CB Sep 2018The orbitofrontal cortex is a large and heterogeneous cortical area on the ventral surface of the frontal lobe and is intimately involved in emotion and executive...
The orbitofrontal cortex is a large and heterogeneous cortical area on the ventral surface of the frontal lobe and is intimately involved in emotion and executive function. In this Primer, Peter Rudebeck and Erin Rich summarize our understanding of the mechanisms through which orbitofrontal cortex adaptively shapes decision making and affective behavior.
Topics: Decision Making; Emotions; Humans; Prefrontal Cortex
PubMed: 30253144
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.07.018 -
Neuroscience Bulletin Apr 2015Schizophrenia is hypothesized to arise from disrupted brain connectivity. This "dysconnectivity hypothesis" has generated interest in discovering whether there is... (Review)
Review
Schizophrenia is hypothesized to arise from disrupted brain connectivity. This "dysconnectivity hypothesis" has generated interest in discovering whether there is anatomical and functional dysconnectivity between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and other brain regions, and how this dysconnectivity is linked to the impaired cognitive functions and aberrant behaviors of schizophrenia. Critical advances in neuroimaging technologies, including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), make it possible to explore these issues. DTI affords the possibility to explore anatomical connectivity in the human brain in vivo and fMRI can be used to make inferences about functional connections between brain regions. In this review, we present major advances in the understanding of PFC anatomical and functional dysconnectivity and their implications in schizophrenia. We then briefly discuss future prospects that need to be explored in order to move beyond simple mapping of connectivity changes to elucidate the neuronal mechanisms underlying schizophrenia.
Topics: Animals; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neural Pathways; Prefrontal Cortex; Schizophrenia
PubMed: 25761914
DOI: 10.1007/s12264-014-1502-8 -
Behavioural Pharmacology Oct 2018The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a heterogeneous area that is critical to reward-based decision-making. In particular, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, ventromedial... (Review)
Review
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a heterogeneous area that is critical to reward-based decision-making. In particular, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, ventromedial PFC and orbitofrontal cortex are frequently implicated in different aspects of choice behaviour. These regions receive projections from midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons and, in turn, project to other key dopaminergic regions such as the striatum. However, our current understanding of the role of DA in reward-based processes is based mainly on studies of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and striatal DA release from nonhuman animal models. An important gap in the literature surrounds the precise functions of DA release in the PFC, particularly in humans. A priority for future research will be to integrate, both computationally and biologically, the seemingly disparate value representations across different nodes within the reward-processing network. Such models should aim to define the functional interactions between the PFC and basal ganglia, through which dopaminergic neurotransmission guides reward-based behaviour.
Topics: Animals; Dopamine; Dopamine Agents; Humans; Nerve Net; Neurons; Prefrontal Cortex; Reward
PubMed: 30188354
DOI: 10.1097/FBP.0000000000000424 -
Neuropsychologia Dec 2017Studies of neurological patients with focal lesions involving ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) have demonstrated a critical role for this brain area in various... (Review)
Review
Studies of neurological patients with focal lesions involving ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) have demonstrated a critical role for this brain area in various aspects of cognition, emotion, and behavior. In this article, we review the key themes, methods, and findings from neuropsychological research on vmPFC lesion patients. Early case studies demonstrated profound disruptions in personality and behavior following vmPFC damage, including blunted affect, poor decision-making, and inappropriate social behavior. Subsequent laboratory investigations with groups of vmPFC lesion patients have revealed deficits in a host of interrelated functions, such as value-based decision-making, future and counterfactual thinking, physiological arousal to emotional stimuli, emotion recognition, empathy, moral judgment, and memory confabulation. The compendium of findings described here demonstrates that vmPFC is crucial for diverse aspects of adaptive function.
Topics: Humans; Mental Processes; Prefrontal Cortex
PubMed: 28966138
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.09.035