Human prefrontal cortex: Processing and representational perspectives

Jacqueline N. Wood; Jordan Grafman

doi:10.1038/nrn1033

Human prefrontal cortex: Processing and representational perspectives

Jacqueline N. Wood^*, Jordan Grafman

^*Corresponding author for this work

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

577 Scopus citations

Abstract

Through evolution, humans have acquired 'higher' cognitive skills — such as language, reasoning and planning — and complex social behaviour. Evidence from neuropsychological and neuroimaging research indicates that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) underlies much of this higher cognition. A number of theories have been proposed for how the PFC might achieve this. Although many of these theories focus on the types of 'process' that the PFC carries out, we argue for the validity of a representational approach to understanding PFC function.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	139-147
Number of pages	9
Journal	Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Volume	4
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1033
State	Published - Feb 2003

Funding

Specific predictions enable the verification or invalidation of this framework (FIG.3). For example, the theory predicts that different categories of SECs are stored in different regions of the PFC. The localization of different aspects or categories of SECs (for example, social or emotional) is based on the connectivity between specific PFC and posterior cortical (temporal–parietal) or subcortical (basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala) regions. Consistent with this, impairment of social behaviour is most evident after ventromedial PFC damage29,54, whereas impairment of reflective, mechanistic behaviour is evident following dorsolateral PFC damage55,56. Furthermore, neuroimaging data support the existence of dissociable networks for emotional versus non-emotional57and social versus non-social35 SECs, and emotion-specificity of neurons in the human ventral PFC26 has been shown in an electrophysiological study. The framework also predicts that online processing of an SEC would enable a person to predict subsequent events, but damage to the PFC that limited retrieval of part or all of an SEC would lead to disruption of day-to-day behaviour because individuals would have difficulty in detecting behavioural and social errors. This is supported by available evidence29,58,59.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Neuroscience

Access to Document

10.1038/nrn1033

Cite this

@article{e60b2093c5494b138cb52fa23f54732e,

title = "Human prefrontal cortex: Processing and representational perspectives",

abstract = "Through evolution, humans have acquired 'higher' cognitive skills — such as language, reasoning and planning — and complex social behaviour. Evidence from neuropsychological and neuroimaging research indicates that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) underlies much of this higher cognition. A number of theories have been proposed for how the PFC might achieve this. Although many of these theories focus on the types of 'process' that the PFC carries out, we argue for the validity of a representational approach to understanding PFC function.",

author = "Wood, {Jacqueline N.} and Jordan Grafman",

note = "Funding Information: Specific predictions enable the verification or invalidation of this framework (FIG.3). For example, the theory predicts that different categories of SECs are stored in different regions of the PFC. The localization of different aspects or categories of SECs (for example, social or emotional) is based on the connectivity between specific PFC and posterior cortical (temporal–parietal) or subcortical (basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala) regions. Consistent with this, impairment of social behaviour is most evident after ventromedial PFC damage29,54, whereas impairment of reflective, mechanistic behaviour is evident following dorsolateral PFC damage55,56. Furthermore, neuroimaging data support the existence of dissociable networks for emotional versus non-emotional57and social versus non-social35 SECs, and emotion-specificity of neurons in the human ventral PFC26 has been shown in an electrophysiological study. The framework also predicts that online processing of an SEC would enable a person to predict subsequent events, but damage to the PFC that limited retrieval of part or all of an SEC would lead to disruption of day-to-day behaviour because individuals would have difficulty in detecting behavioural and social errors. This is supported by available evidence29,58,59. Copyright: Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "2003",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1038/nrn1033",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "4",

pages = "139--147",

journal = "Nature Reviews Neuroscience",

issn = "1471-003X",

publisher = "Springer Nature",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Human prefrontal cortex

T2 - Processing and representational perspectives

AU - Wood, Jacqueline N.

AU - Grafman, Jordan

N1 - Funding Information: Specific predictions enable the verification or invalidation of this framework (FIG.3). For example, the theory predicts that different categories of SECs are stored in different regions of the PFC. The localization of different aspects or categories of SECs (for example, social or emotional) is based on the connectivity between specific PFC and posterior cortical (temporal–parietal) or subcortical (basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala) regions. Consistent with this, impairment of social behaviour is most evident after ventromedial PFC damage29,54, whereas impairment of reflective, mechanistic behaviour is evident following dorsolateral PFC damage55,56. Furthermore, neuroimaging data support the existence of dissociable networks for emotional versus non-emotional57and social versus non-social35 SECs, and emotion-specificity of neurons in the human ventral PFC26 has been shown in an electrophysiological study. The framework also predicts that online processing of an SEC would enable a person to predict subsequent events, but damage to the PFC that limited retrieval of part or all of an SEC would lead to disruption of day-to-day behaviour because individuals would have difficulty in detecting behavioural and social errors. This is supported by available evidence29,58,59. Copyright: Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2003/2

Y1 - 2003/2

N2 - Through evolution, humans have acquired 'higher' cognitive skills — such as language, reasoning and planning — and complex social behaviour. Evidence from neuropsychological and neuroimaging research indicates that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) underlies much of this higher cognition. A number of theories have been proposed for how the PFC might achieve this. Although many of these theories focus on the types of 'process' that the PFC carries out, we argue for the validity of a representational approach to understanding PFC function.

AB - Through evolution, humans have acquired 'higher' cognitive skills — such as language, reasoning and planning — and complex social behaviour. Evidence from neuropsychological and neuroimaging research indicates that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) underlies much of this higher cognition. A number of theories have been proposed for how the PFC might achieve this. Although many of these theories focus on the types of 'process' that the PFC carries out, we argue for the validity of a representational approach to understanding PFC function.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037315630&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0037315630&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/nrn1033

DO - 10.1038/nrn1033

M3 - Article

C2 - 12563285

AN - SCOPUS:0037315630

SN - 1471-003X

VL - 4

SP - 139

EP - 147

JO - Nature Reviews Neuroscience

JF - Nature Reviews Neuroscience

IS - 2

ER -

Human prefrontal cortex: Processing and representational perspectives

Abstract

Funding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this