Prefrontal cortex and the bridging of temporal gaps in the perception-action cycle

Normal behavior is characterized by a constant circular flow of influences from sensory receptors to motor effectors, to the physical environment, back to sensory receptors, and so on. This cybernetic cycle of influences (the perception-action cycle) governs all sequences of behavior to make them adaptive and goal directed. In the primate (including the human primate), considerable evidence indicates that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is essential for the bridging of temporal gaps in the perception-action cycle, in other words, for mediating cross-temporal contingencies of behavior. This chapter summarizes some neuropsychological and neurophysiological evidence in support of this conclusion. The evidence has been obtained from monkeys performing delay tasks, which epitomize the principle of cross-temporal contingency.