Common regions of the human frontal lobe recruited by diverse cognitive demands.

Full Abstract

Though many neuroscientific methods have been brought to bear in the search for functional specializations within prefrontal cortex, little consensus has emerged. To assess the contribution of functional neuroimaging, this article reviews patterns of frontal-lobe activation associated with a broad range of different cognitive demands, including aspects of perception, response selection, executive control, working memory, episodic memory and problem solving. The results show a striking regularity: for many demands, there is a similar recruitment of mid-dorsolateral, mid-ventrolateral and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Much of the remainder of frontal cortex, including most of the medial and orbital surfaces, is largely insensitive to these demands. Undoubtedly, these results provide strong evidence for regional specialization of function within prefrontal cortex. This specialization, however, takes an unexpected form: a specific frontal-lobe network that is consistently recruited for solution of diverse cognitive problems.

Author information

Author/s: Duncan, J (J); Owen, A M (AM);

Affiliation: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, CB2 2EF, Cambridge, UK.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Review

Journal: Trends in neurosciences (Trends Neurosci), published in ENGLAND. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2000-Oct; vol 23 (issue 10) : pp 475-83

Dates: Created 2000/11/20; Completed 2000/11/20; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 11006464, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.