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Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
Reversed functional gradient in primate prefrontal cortex: Posterior dominance and frontopolar task-related
Kei Watanabe1,2,3, Masayuki Hirata3,4, Takafumi Suzuki1,3
1Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, The University of Osaka, Suita 565-0871, Japan.
Science Advances
|July 17, 2026
Summary
The frontopolar cortex (FPC) does not dominate complex behaviors as previously thought. Instead, posterior lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) regions show greater activity, challenging anterior dominance theories.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Primate Neurophysiology
Background:
- The frontopolar cortex (FPC) is hypothesized to lead complex behaviors by coordinating posterior lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) functions.
- This anterior dominance theory lacks direct neurophysiological evidence and comparative studies across the LPFC.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly compare neurophysiological activity across the anteroposterior extent of the LPFC in macaques.
- To test the hypothesis of FPC dominance in complex, nonroutine behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Recorded neuronal activity in macaques across the full anteroposterior LPFC.
- Utilized six distinct tasks designed to probe goal management, exploration, and self-generated decision-making.
Main Results:
- Revealed a posterior-to-mid LPFC dominance for key cognitive signals, including resource allocation, novelty/reward learning, and decision monitoring.
- Observed inflexible action encoding and task-related deactivation in the FPC, characteristic of default-mode network activity.
- Identified a transition zone from task-positive to task-negative activity in the anterior-middle LPFC.
Conclusions:
- Findings challenge the prevailing view of anterior LPFC dominance in primates.
- Suggest a posterior bias in LPFC function for complex cognitive tasks.
- Provide evolutionary constraints for understanding human prefrontal cortex organization.
