The role of the anterior prefrontal cortex in human cognition

Etienne Koechlin, Gianpaolo Basso, Pietro Pietrini, Seth Panzer and Jordan Grafman ()
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Etienne Koechlin: Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health
Gianpaolo Basso: Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health
Pietro Pietrini: Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health
Seth Panzer: Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health
Jordan Grafman: Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health

Nature, 1999, vol. 399, issue 6732, 148-151

Abstract: Abstract Complex problem-solving and planning involve the most anterior part of the frontal lobes including the fronto-polar prefrontal cortex (FPPC)1,2,3,4,5,6, which is especially well developed in humans compared with other primates7,8. The specific role of this region in human cognition, however, is poorly understood. Here we show, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, that bilateral regions in the FPPC alone are selectively activated when subjects have to keep in mind a main goal while performing concurrent (sub)goals. Neither keeping in mind a goal over time (working memory) nor successively allocating attentional resources between alternative goals (dual-task performance) could by themselves activate these regions. Our results indicate that the FPPC selectively mediates the human ability to hold in mind goals while exploring and processing secondary goals, a process generally required in planning and reasoning.

Date: 1999
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DOI: 10.1038/20178

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