Lesion mapping of cognitive control and value-based decision making in the prefrontal cortex

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Sep 4;109(36):14681-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1206608109. Epub 2012 Aug 20.

Abstract

A considerable body of previous research on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has helped characterize the regional specificity of various cognitive functions, such as cognitive control and decision making. Here we provide definitive findings on this topic, using a neuropsychological approach that takes advantage of a unique dataset accrued over several decades. We applied voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping in 344 individuals with focal lesions (165 involving the PFC) who had been tested on a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tasks. Two distinct functional-anatomical networks were revealed within the PFC: one associated with cognitive control (response inhibition, conflict monitoring, and switching), which included the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex and a second associated with value-based decision-making, which included the orbitofrontal, ventromedial, and frontopolar cortex. Furthermore, cognitive control tasks shared a common performance factor related to set shifting that was linked to the rostral anterior cingulate cortex. By contrast, regions in the ventral PFC were required for decision-making. These findings provide detailed causal evidence for a remarkable functional-anatomical specificity in the human PFC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cognition / physiology*
  • Decision Making / physiology*
  • Executive Function / physiology
  • Gyrus Cinguli / physiology
  • Humans
  • Iowa
  • Linear Models
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Nerve Net / physiology*
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Prefrontal Cortex / pathology*
  • Prefrontal Cortex / physiology*
  • Social Values*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed