The frontal lobes have multiple connections to cortical, subcortical and brain stem sites. įurthermore, in their review, Alvarez and Emory state that: Lesions can cause disinhibition, impulsivity, aggressive outbursts, sexual promiscuity and antisocial behavior. The orbitofrontal cortex also has roles in representing the value of rewards based on sensory stimuli and evaluating subjective emotional experiences. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) plays a key role in impulse control, maintenance of set, monitoring ongoing behavior and socially appropriate behaviors.Lesions in this area can lead to low drive states such as apathy, abulia or akinetic mutism and may also result in low drive states for such basic needs as food or drink and possibly decreased interest in social or vocational activities and sex. Associated cognitive functions include inhibition of inappropriate responses, decision making and motivated behaviors. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in emotional drives, experience and integration.Side view of the brain, illustrating dorsolateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex As such, this area has been found to be associated with verbal and design fluency, ability to maintain and shift set, planning, response inhibition, working memory, organisational skills, reasoning, problem-solving, and abstract thinking. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is involved with "on-line" processing of information such as integrating different dimensions of cognition and behavior.Neuroimaging and lesion studies have identified the functions which are most often associated with the particular regions of the prefrontal cortex and associated areas. Probably the frontal lobes need to participate in basically all of the executive functions, but they are not the only brain structure involved. This means that both frontal and non-frontal brain regions are necessary for intact executive functions. Even though articles on prefrontal lobe lesions commonly refer to disturbances of executive functions and vice versa, a review found indications for the sensitivity but not for the specificity of executive function measures to frontal lobe functioning. Historically, the executive functions have been seen as regulated by the prefrontal regions of the frontal lobes, but it is still a matter of ongoing debate if that really is the case. Stimulus-driven behavioral responses that are associated with a particular rewarding stimulus tend to dominate one's behavior in an addiction. Ĭognitive control is impaired in addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and a number of other central nervous system disorders. The prefrontal cortex is necessary but not solely sufficient for executive functions for example, the caudate nucleus and subthalamic nucleus also have a role in mediating inhibitory control. They are usually performed as part of a more comprehensive assessment to diagnose neurological and psychiatric disorders.Ĭognitive control and stimulus control, which is associated with operant and classical conditioning, represent opposite processes (internal vs external or environmental, respectively) that compete over the control of an individual's elicited behaviors in particular, inhibitory control is necessary for overriding stimulus-driven behavioral responses (stimulus control of behavior). Both neuropsychological tests (e.g., the Stroop test) and rating scales (e.g., the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function) are used to measure executive functions. Similarly, these cognitive processes can be adversely affected by a variety of events which affect an individual. Įxecutive functions gradually develop and change across the lifespan of an individual and can be improved at any time over the course of a person's life. Higher-order executive functions require the simultaneous use of multiple basic executive functions and include planning and fluid intelligence (e.g., reasoning and problem-solving). Executive functions include basic cognitive processes such as attentional control, cognitive inhibition, inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. In cognitive science and neuropsychology, executive functions (collectively referred to as executive function and cognitive control) are a set of cognitive processes that are necessary for the cognitive control of behavior: selecting and successfully monitoring behaviors that facilitate the attainment of chosen goals.
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