Evidence for a frontoparietal control system revealed by intrinsic functional connectivity
Justin L Vincent1, Itamar Kahn, Abraham Z Snyder
1Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. vincent@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
Journal of Neurophysiology
|September 19, 2008
Summary
A newly identified frontoparietal control system in the brain acts as a bridge between external attention and internal memory networks. This system integrates information from the dorsal attention and hippocampal-cortical memory systems.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Two distinct brain networks, the dorsal attention system and the hippocampal-cortical memory system, manage external and internal cognitive processes, respectively.
- These networks are often considered functionally competing, influencing attention towards the external world versus internally directed thought and memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and define a third brain system spatially located between the dorsal attention and hippocampal-cortical memory systems.
- To investigate the anatomical and functional role of this newly identified system in integrating information from the two established networks.
Main Methods:
- Utilized spontaneous blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal correlations from three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets (n=105).
- Employed detailed analysis of frontal and parietal cortex, including high-resolution data, to delineate distinct brain regions.
- Defined the frontoparietal control system based on its spatial relationship to the dorsal attention and hippocampal-cortical memory systems.
Main Results:
- Identified a third brain system, the frontoparietal control system, spatially interposed between the dorsal attention and hippocampal-cortical memory systems.
- The frontoparietal control system comprises regions associated with cognitive control and decision-making, including lateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and inferior parietal lobule.
- Demonstrated contiguous but distinct regions within the frontal and parietal cortex, confirming the frontoparietal control system's intermediate anatomical position.
Conclusions:
- The frontoparietal control system is anatomically positioned to integrate information from the attention-dominant dorsal attention system and the memory-dominant hippocampal-cortical memory system.
- This integration role suggests the frontoparietal control system is crucial for flexible cognitive control and decision-making, bridging external and internal cognitive processes.
- The findings refine our understanding of large-scale brain network organization and their interactions in cognitive function.
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