The Prefrontal Cortex

The Prefrontal Cortex

This is the fourth edition of the undisputed classic on the prefrontal cortex, the principal "executive" structure of the brain. Because of its role in such cognitive functions as working memory, planning, and decision-making, the prefrontal cortex is critically involved in the organization of behavior, language, and reasoning. Prefrontal dysfunction lies at the foundation of several psychotic and neurodegenerative disorders, including schizophrenia and dementia. - Written by an award-winning author who discovered "memory cells"-the physiological substrate of working memory - Provides an in-depth examination of the contributions of every relevant methodology, from comparative anatomy to modern imaging - Well-referenced with more than 2000 references

The Prefrontal Cortex

Thanks to a resurgence of interest and a recent proliferation of research techniques, much new and illuminating data has emerged during the last decade relating to the prefrontal cortex, particularly in primates and rodents. In view of this progress, the 16th International Summer School of Brain Research was held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands from 28 August to 1 September 1989, devoted to the topic of The Prefrontal Cortex: Its Structure, Function and Pathology'. The edited proceedings, embodied in this 85th volume of Progress in Brain Research', fall into three sections - the first of which, following two introductory chapters, discusses the present knowledge of the organization of prefrontal cortical systems. In the second section, developmental and plasticity aspects in rodent and human cortex are considered, whilst the third section deals extensively with the functional aspects characteristic for the prefrontal cortex in primates, rats and rabbits. The last section reviews several topics on dysfunction of prefrontal cortex in rat and man, including a historical review on psychosurgery.

The Prefrontal Cortex