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Anatomic and behavioral aspects of frontal-subcortical circuits
1Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine 90024, USA.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|December 15, 1995
Summary
Frontal-subcortical circuits link brain regions to specific behaviors like executive dysfunction and apathy. Understanding these circuits is key to explaining various neurological and psychiatric conditions and drug actions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Psychopharmacology
Background:
- Frontal-subcortical circuits are crucial for understanding behavior, anatomy, biochemistry, and pharmacology.
- Three main circuits originate from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the principal frontal-subcortical circuits and their associated behaviors.
- To explore the role of these circuits in psychiatric disorders and the effects of various drugs.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual framework based on existing anatomical, biochemical, and pharmacological data.
- Identification of circuit-specific marker behaviors and common syndromes.
Main Results:
- Dorsolateral prefrontal-subcortical circuit: executive dysfunction.
- Orbitofrontal-subcortical circuit: disinhibition, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Medial frontal-subcortical circuit: apathy. Environmental dependency is common to all.
Conclusions:
- Frontal-subcortical circuits provide a unified model for diverse behaviors and psychiatric conditions.
- These circuits are implicated in the mechanisms of action for numerous psychoactive substances.
- Disruption of working memory may underlie environmental dependency in these syndromes.