Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) allows us to engage in what scientists call “cognitive control” (also known as “executive functioning”) and it is crucial for our sense of self. This video explains what the PFC is, why this brain region’s properties make it well suited to cognitive control and the sense of self, and how each of the subdivisions of the prefrontal cortex contributes to these functions. Includes interview clips with neuroscientists David Badre (Brown University), Gregory Hickok (UC Irvine), and Taylor Guthrie (University of Oregon).

Chapters:
00:00 The prefrontal cortex (PFC) allows us to engage in cognitive control (executive function) and the sense of self.
00:34 Prefrontal cortex in cognitive control according to David Badre
01:14 Prefrontal cortex location in the brain
02:11 Executive function
03:44 Dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and motivation deficits (DMPFC)
05:14 Anterior cingulate cortex, motivation, and prediction error signaling
05:56 Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC)
06:45 Neuroscience of the self and the MPFC
07:44 Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC)
08:04 Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex damage and perseveration
08:43 DLPFC damage (in verbal and visual reasoning)
11:11 DLPFC in working memory
12:01 Caudal-rostral PFC gradient in abstract rule representation
14:39 Ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC)
15:18 VMPFC connections
15:57 VMPFC in cognition and emotion
17:07 Patient EVR and the VMPFC
18:01 VMPFC damage and acquired sociopathy
18:54 The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT)
21:00 VMPFC and reversal learning tasks
22:09 The VMPFC and feelings
23:56 The VMPFC and empathy (from Behave by Robert Sapolsky)
25:12 VMPFC damage and ethical reasoning
28:04 Summary and caveats
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References:

Fellows, L. K. (2019). The functions of the frontal lobes: evidence from patients with focal brain damage. Handbook of clinical neurology, 163, 19-34.
Reber, J., & Tranel, D. (2019). Frontal lobe syndromes. Handbook of clinical neurology, 163, 147-164.
Menon, V., & D’Esposito, M. (2022). The role of PFC networks in cognitive control and executive function. Neuropsychopharmacology, 47(1), 90-103.
Friedman, N. P., & Robbins, T. W. (2022). The role of prefrontal cortex in cognitive control and executive function. Neuropsychopharmacology, 47(1), 72-89.
Parijat, P., & Bagga, S. (2014). Victor Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation–An evaluation. International Research Journal of Business and Management, 7(9), 1-8.
Sapolsky, R. M. (2017). Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst. Penguin.

All 3D brain Animations:
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Brain Images:

#prefrontalcortex #neuroscience #brain

[senseofmindshow]

⚠ CORRECTION!!! In this video, I said "this video is brought to you by the Diamond Mind Foundation." Well, as of December 2022, that is no longer the case.
For less than $5 a month, you'll get exclusive content and the satisfaction of knowing you're helping to keep Sense of Mind alive! 🧠

[FutureAIDev]

The topics that you go over in this video explain most of the cognitive processes that as someone with high functioning autism I consistently have difficulty with. This is very fascinating!

[aro]

As a psychology undergraduate, this is a great source of information. Thanks for sharing.

[michaelahthomas]

Wow this video really hit its target audience damn. Yalls including myself, prefrontal context led you here haha 😂 That's sign 1 that you are blessed with the ability to make conscious decisions

[Alphacentauri]

This helps explain some potential causes of the problems with those who have things like autism and borderline personality (and likely other diagnoses, but those two are ones I’ve focused on for years).
So fascinating.

[thecellularrepublic]

This is 🔥🔥🔥 You can definitely tell how much work went into putting this together and it was all really well done! I actually learned a lot too about research I hadn't heard of before. Thanks again for the shout outs!

[smedentsev]

A very good introduction to PFC anatomy and functions. Thanks!

[laurabrieva]

This video has been so helpful to studying for my licensing exam. Thank you!

[Jaxie.]

I have been struggling with motivation and follow through, distraction… meditation has helped me so much, but I still fall back into old patterns. I got out my old TCDS device and used the depression montage (anode on left dorsal pfc, cathode on right FP2) and did 30 mins at 2 MA. No magic happened and I went to bed. This morning one of the cats started batting around something on the bare floor at 5am, waking me up and upsetting the dog. I got irritated and resentful. But I noticed that I didn’t keep feeding the negative feeling with more and more reasons to feel bad. In other words, I controlled my mood rather than allowing it to run wild. It was subtle but much faster than my usual pattern. Not sure why I never used the depression montage before, I always focused on attention and learning montages.

[juliawilkinson]

I had tms which targeted my dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It was the best treatment for depression i ever had. I felt great and so motivated.
Unfortunately the effects wore off after 4 months or so, but I hope to get it again.

[darktechnosynth]

Thank you for the contribution to the world! 🙏

[KOSMIKFEADRECORDS]

Brilliant. Enlightening. Liked and subbed!

[YOGESHPHADTARE]

Useful info. Thanks to you and YouTube. Otherwise I couldn't access it easily.

[katherandefy]

I would be interested in a video outlining in depth info on how pre-lingual deafness affects the integration of these same brain areas, comparing norms and the deaf ability to behave socially, ethically and motivationally.

[fmatsveru]

Thank you. For future videos, would you please show the images for a little longer

[Emie-okcq]

Wow okay.. very very good video thank you so much it's so informative! +1 sub

[granitfog]

Regarding TS 22 and VMPFC patients I would add the term "personalization of experience" - the phenomena to have value, emotion, empathy reaction to experience something like identifying with a character in film or book and caring about what happens to him or her, as opposed to not caring what happens to a different character.  Thus patients would have reduced personalization of experience.

Regarding cold and hot cognitive control, what about default mode or task positive networks and mentioning the fact that these are mutually inhibitory and that the VMPFC is one of the few I found that causes inhibition of serotonin production at the dorsal raphe nuclei.

[HumanityPlant]

Is it possible focusing on only a sound/word and image in your mind, while breathing fully through the nose and applying radical emotional advertising, if negative emotions arise, could help produce activity in the pre frontal cortex?

[terrafirma]

Really would have liked to listen to this but I found the background music too annoying

[HumanityPlant]

If we new how to promote activity in the pre frontal cortex, could that benefit humanity?