Prefrontal cortex

The prefrontal cortex or cortex praefrontalis is a part of the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex ( cortex cerebri ). It is located at the front of the brain and is closely connected to the sensory association areas of the cortex, to subcortical modules of the limbic system and to the basal ganglia .

Functions

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Especially to the SAS.

The prefrontal cortex receives sensory signals and is related to the integration of memory content and emotional evaluations. On this basis, there is also a correlative relationship between prefrontal brain activity and action planning . The functions and processes of prefrontal brain structures are seen as necessary conditions for a situation-appropriate control of actions and the regulation of emotional processes. That is why it is also known as the “Supervisory Attentional System” (SAS).

anatomy

Lateral view of the prefrontal cortex of the left cerebral hemisphere with the numbering of the Brodmann areas.

Medial view with numbering of the Brodmann areas.

The prefrontal cortex can be divided into orbitofrontal, medial and lateral parts; the lateral prefrontal cortex is divided into dorsolateral and ventrolateral areas.

The functions of individual parts of the prefrontal cortex are the subject of clinical research. Topographically, a distinction is made:

• the VLPFC - ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex, Brodmann area (BA) 45 + lateral parts of BA 47/12
• the DLPFC - dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex, BA 9/46
• a frontopolar or anterior prefrontal area (anterior PFC, BA 10)
• an orbitofrontal area ( OFC , BA 10, 11, 47/12, 13, 14, ventral parts of BA 45)
• the FMPFC - fronto-medial prefrontal cortex, especially the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; BA 24, 25)
• the VMPFC - ventro-medial prefrontal cortex ( see : Somatic marker hypothesis )
• frontal eye field (BA 8)
• the language motor Broca area (BA 44)

Consequences of injuries

Prefrontal lesions can a. have the following consequences (see frontal brain syndrome ):

• Decay of short-term memory and long-term planning,
• Inability to make decisions ( Abulia ),
• Perseveration and inflexibility in behavior
• Especially with orbitofrontal lesions, strong personality changes (emotional flattening, instinct inhibition, situation-inappropriate euphoria , disregard for social norms (pseudopsychopathy))

In addition to injuries caused by traumatic brain injuries, there are also degenerative diseases ( Pick's disease ) that primarily affect the prefrontal cortex. Tests have shown that impulse control can be reduced with magnetic fields.

literature

• Otto Detlev Creutzfeldt : Cortex cerebri. Springer, 1983, ISBN 3-540-12193-5 .
• D. Drenckhahn, W. Zenker: Benninghoff. Anatomy. Urban & Schwarzenberg, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-541-00255-7 .
• Hans Förstl (Ed.): Frontal lobe - functions and diseases. Verlag Springer, Berlin, ISBN 3-540-20485-7 .
• K. Zilles, G. Rehkämper: Functional Neuroanatomy. Springer, Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-540-54690-1 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Simone Goebel: Clinical and experimental neuropsychology of strategic skills. Chapter 4 (PDF; 397 kB)
2. ^ D. Knoch, A. Pascual-Leone, K. Meyer, V. Treyer, E. Fehr: Diminishing reciprocal fairness by disrupting the right prefrontal cortex. In: Science. 314 (5800), Nov 3, 2006, pp. 829-832. Epub 2006 Oct 5. PMID 17023614