Prefrontal

Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain located at the front of the frontal lobe. It is implicated in a variety of complex behaviors, including planning, and greatly contributes to personality development.

Anatomy

The prefrontal cortex is the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, lying in front of the motor and premotor areas. This brain region has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, and moderating social behavior.

Function

The basic activity of this brain region is considered to be orchestration of thoughts and actions in accordance with internal goals. The most typical psychological term for functions carried out by the prefrontal cortex area is executive function. Executive function relates to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, same and different, future consequences of current activities, working toward a defined goal, prediction of outcomes, expectation based on actions, and social "control".

Clinical significance

Damage to the prefrontal cortex in humans results in a syndrome referred to as dysexecutive syndrome. This syndrome can be characterized by problems with decision-making, personality changes, and poor planning.

See also

• Frontal lobe
• Cerebral cortex
• Executive functions

External links

• Prefrontal Cortex at PubMed Health