Goal Representation and Planning in the Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain. It lies in front of the motor and premotor areas. The PFC is divided into the lateral, orbitofrontal, and medial prefrontal areas (Barbas and Pandya, 1987, 1989). Comprehensive reviews of this structure and functions of the PFC have been published in various forms (Fuster, 1997 Goldman-Rakic, 1987 Miller and Cohen, 2001 Passingham, 1993 Tanji and Hoshi, 2008). The PFC possesses a wealth of anatomical connectivity with multiple cortical and subcortical areas, and is involved in broad aspects of behavioral control. The PFC has been implicated in complex cognitive behaviors, social behaviors, and personality expression. Recent studies of this area have revealed its role in the control of a much broader spectrum of functions, such as cross-modal and cross-temporal association of information, in the executive control of behavior, and in the top-down control of neural networks involving the cortical and subcortical areas. Among them, the executive control of action was a term coined to capture various aspects of PFC function. 

Problem-Solving Behavior, Using a Path-Planning Task 

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