Defining the functional organization of the frontal lobes

| The frontal lobes in the brain are a component of the cerebral system that supports goal-directed behaviour. However, their functional organization remains controversial. Recent studies have reported rostro-caudal distinctions in frontal cortex activity based on the abstractness of action representations. In addition, some have proposed that these differences reflect a hierarchical organization, whereby anterior frontal regions influence processing by posterior frontal regions during the realization of abstract action goals as motor acts. However, few have considered whether the anatomy and physiology of the frontal lobes support such a scheme. To address this gap, this Review surveys anatomical, neuroimaging, electrophysiological and developmental findings, and considers the question: could the organization of the frontal cortex be hierarchical? R E V I E W S nATUre revIews | NeuroscieNce vOLUMe 10 | sePTeMBer 2009 | 659 © 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved Nature Reviews | Neuroscience Human Monkey Rostral Caudal Rostral Caudal 9/46v 9/46v 47/12 47/12 9/46d 9/46d 8Av