The role of prefrontal cortex in cognitive control and executive function

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Cognitive control (CC) and executive functions (EF) are central to goal-directed behavior, contrasting with habits and automatic processing.
• These functions are closely linked to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and its associated neural networks.
• Understanding CC/EF is crucial for explaining psychiatric symptoms and disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define CC/EF concepts and their neurobiological underpinnings.
• To examine the psychometric structure of CC constructs, identifying common and specific components.
• To explore the relationship between CC, motivation, general intelligence, psychopathology, and impulsivity.

Main Methods:

• Psychometric analysis of CC constructs.
• Review of cellular and systems neurobiology of the PFC.
• Integration of lesioning, neurochemical, and neuroimaging data across species.
• Examination of CC in relation to motivation ('cool' vs. 'hot' forms).

Main Results:

• CC constructs exhibit unity and diversity, with common CC, set-shifting, and working memory updating as key components.
• Common CC is distinct from general intelligence (g) but closely related to response inhibition.
• Impairments in CC are implicated in psychiatric symptoms and disorders, correlating with the general factor of psychopathology (p) and impulsivity.

Conclusions:

• CC is a multifaceted construct supported by PFC networks, with distinct components.
• CC plays a significant role in differentiating goal-directed from habitual behavior and is linked to motivation.
• CC deficits offer insights into psychiatric conditions, informing genetic and RDoC-based research.