2-Minute Neuroscience: Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the area of the brain that is anterior to, or in front of, the motor cortex. It is most commonly associated with executive functions: cognitive processes that involve controlling short-sighted behavior to act with a goal in mind. In this video, I discuss the anatomy and general function of the PFC. 🧠 Take your learning further with my free, self-paced Introduction to Neuroscience course featuring my videos, articles, and hundreds of quiz questions: https://neuroscientificallychallenged... If you're looking for accessible and entertaining ways to learn more about the brain, check out my books: 📚Your Brain, Explained: What Neuroscience Reveals About Your Brain and its Quirks: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Brain-Exp... 📚Bizarre: The Most Peculiar Cases of Human Behavior and What They Tell Us About How the Brain Works: https://www.amazon.com/Bizarre-Peculi... TRANSCRIPT: The term prefrontal cortex, or PFC, can be used to refer generally to the part of the frontal lobe that is anterior to, or in front of, the motor cortex. Neuroscientists generally further divide the PFC into subregions, and while there is no clear consensus on what those subregions should be, some common demarcations include the dorsolateral, dorsomedial, ventrolateral, ventromedial, and orbitofrontal regions. The PFC makes up a substantial proportion of the entire brain, and thus is not surprisingly involved in a long list of functions. But it is most commonly associated with executive functions. There isn’t a precise definition for the term executive functions, but it generally refers to processes that focus on controlling short-sighted behavior to be able to act with a goal in mind. This may include things like self-control, planning, decision-making, and problem-solving. Because these are complex cognitive functions, it is unlikely any one brain region is solely responsible for them, and more likely they depend on distributed networks of brain regions. Nevertheless, the PFC seems to play a critically important role in executive functions---a hypothesis supported by neuroimaging research and cases where the PFC was damaged and executive functions impaired. Although each of the subregions of the PFC is typically associated with slightly different aspects of cognition, we are not yet at the point where we can confidently assign specific roles to PFC subregions.Most evidence suggests that the executive functions of the PFC are accomplished due to the interaction of these subregions and their communication with other areas outside the PFC. One general model of PFC function is that it receives sensory information about the external world, uses that information to plan responses, and then communicates with other areas of the brain to enact a response, which might involve anything ranging from movement to simply a redirection of attention. References: Carlén M. What constitutes the prefrontal cortex? Science. 2017 Oct 27;358(6362):478-482. doi: 10.1126/science.aan8868. Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, Hall WC, Lamantia AS, Mooney RD, Platt ML, White LE. Neuroscience. 6th ed. Sunderland, MA. Sinauer Associates; 2018. Thanks to Nicole Lookfong for help with fact-checking the script for this video.