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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats
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Published on: February 15, 2015

Do rats have prefrontal cortex? The rose-woolsey-akert program reconsidered.

T M Preuss1

  • 1Vanderbilt University.

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|August 22, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Rats lack homologues of primate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, challenging their use as models for human frontal lobe functions. This reevaluation redefines rat frontal cortex homology to primates.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Comparative Anatomy
  • Primate Cognition

Background:

  • Primate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is unique, with a well-developed internal granular layer linked to higher cognition.
  • Historically, mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD) innervation was used to identify dlPFC homologues in nonprimates.
  • Dopaminergic innervation and spatial delayed-reaction tasks were also considered dlPFC characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reevaluate the homology of rat frontal cortex to primate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
  • To determine if current characteristics used to define primate dlPFC are exclusive to this region.
  • To assess the suitability of rats as models for human dorsolateral frontal lobe function.

Main Methods:

  • Histological and neuroanatomical comparison of primate and rat frontal cortex.

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Last Updated: May 8, 2026

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  • Analysis of mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD) projections in rats.
  • Review of functional data related to frontal lobe involvement in delay tasks.

    • Main Results:

    • Primate dlPFC characteristics, including MD innervation and dopaminergic projections, are not exclusive to this region.
    • Rat medial frontal cortex shows homology to primate premotor and anterior cingulate cortex, not dlPFC.
    • Rat lateral MD-projection cortex resembles primate orbital cortex, not dlPFC.

    Conclusions:

    • Rats possess prefrontal cortex broadly defined but lack direct homologues of primate dorsolateral prefrontal areas.
    • Rats may not be ideal models for human dorsolateral frontal lobe function and dysfunction.
    • Rats could still be valuable for studying other regions of the frontal cortex.