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The functional anatomy of the frontal lobes

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 10, page 829 (2009)Cite this article

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In their illuminating recent article (Is the rostro-caudal axis of the frontal lobe hierarchical? Nature Rev. Neurosci. 10, 659–669 (2009))1, Badre and D'Esposito generalize to the frontal lobes as a whole a point we recently made about the medial frontal cortex2: that the functional architecture suggests a continuous rostro-caudal gradient reflecting the conditional complexity of the associated behaviour. Reviewing a broad swathe of behavioural and neurophysiological studies, they argue — convincingly, in our view — that a wealth of data now supports this new conceptual framework for frontal lobe function. However, there are some important consequences of such a perspective that might not be apparent at first glance and that merit some further consideration.

First, if the gradient model is correct, traditional discrete models of frontal lobe functions being compartmentalized to highly demarcated zones cannot be. Not only do the empirical data support the former, they also strongly undermine the latter. The frontal lobes can have only one functional architecture. As most models of frontal lobe function — indeed of brain function generally — are constructed on the basis of more or less discrete functional units, if gradient models are correct then a re-evaluation of such models in cognitive neuroscience is required. To confirm or disprove such a perspective is therefore a task of the highest priority.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parashkev Nachev and Masud Husain are at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and the Institute of Neurology, University College London, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AR, UK.,

    Parashkev Nachev & Masud Husain

  2. Christopher Kennard is at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Imperial College London, St Dunstan's Road, London, W6 8RP, UK.,

    Christopher Kennard

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  1. Parashkev Nachev
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  2. Christopher Kennard
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  3. Masud Husain
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Correspondence to Masud Husain.

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Nachev, P., Kennard, C. & Husain, M. The functional anatomy of the frontal lobes. Nat Rev Neurosci 10, 829 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2667-c1

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