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Updated: Jan 6, 2026

Conducting Concurrent Electroencephalography and Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Recordings with a Flanker Task
Published on: May 24, 2020
Cognitive neurophysiology of the prefrontal cortex
Randolph F Helfrich1, Robert T Knight2
1Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Cognitive control relies on the prefrontal cortex (PFC), where synchronized neural activity and dynamic population coding enable flexible, goal-directed behavior, not static individual neuron function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for rule-guided, goal-directed behaviors.
- Understanding the neural mechanisms of cognitive control and flexibility remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review how electrophysiology, particularly intracranial recordings, illuminates cognitive processing.
- To synthesize evidence on the functional units of PFC implementation of organized behavior.
Main Methods:
- Review of electrophysiological methods and analysis techniques.
- Intracranial recordings in humans and primates.
- Analysis across multiple species and spatial scales.
Main Results:
- Cell assemblies and transient synchronized network activity are functional units of PFC.
- Cognitive architecture is dynamic and rhythmic, not static.
- Prefrontal neurons exhibit mixed selectivity and dynamic population coding.
Conclusions:
- Electrophysiology provides high spatiotemporal resolution for studying cognitive processing.
- Network neuroscience and neurology offer frameworks for understanding complex behavior and mental diseases.
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