the prefrontal cortex (pfc) plays a central role in processing both normal and pathological affective states and it is among the brain regions most closely associated with stress-related psychopathology in humans. the ventromedial pfc (vmpfc) in particular has been shown to be required for healthy emotional regulation, social function and risk assessment and decision-making. also this region ex...

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic imprinting disorder characterized mainly by hyperphagia and early childhood obesity. Previous functional neuroimaging studies used visual stimuli to examine abnormal activities in the eating-related neural circuitry of patients with PWS. It was found that patients with PWS exhibited both excessive hunger and hyperphagia consistently, even in situations w...

Visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) performances undergo a decline throughout aging and are affected by the space in which task is performed (reaching or navigational). Cerebral oxygenation cognitive capabilities could explain this decline. We assessed effects of age on cerebral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) VSWM tasks reaching navigational space. also correlates performance each Thirt...

This study investigated the relationship between the development of effortful control (EC), a temperamental measure of self-regulation, and concurrent development of three regions of the prefrontal cortex (anterior cingulate cortex, ACC; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dlPFC; ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, vlPFC) between early- and mid-adolescence. It also examined whether development of EC m...

Lesion and functional imaging studies in humans have suggested that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), and intraparietal sulcus (IPS) are involved in orienting attention. A functional magnetic resonance imaging study supplemented by a behavioral experiment examined the effects of 5 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) condition...

The social welfare provided by cooperation depends on the enforcement of social norms. Determining blameworthiness and assigning a deserved punishment are two cognitive cornerstones of norm enforcement. Although prior work has implicated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in norm-based judgments, the relative contribution of this region to blameworthiness and punishment decisions remain...

The cognitive control of action requires both the suppression of automatic responses to sudden stimuli and the generation of behavior specified by abstract instructions. Though patient, functional imaging and neurophysiological studies have implicated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in these abilities, the mechanism by which the dlPFC exerts this control remains unknown. Here we exam...

Abstract Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a clinically effective treatment in major depressive disorder (MDD) when targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Yet, at least 44% of patients do not achieve remission, requiring validated alternatives, such as orbitofrontal (OFC) targeted rTMS. Preliminary results employing 1Hz OFC-rTMS show 30% achieving response (i...

Introduction: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has been used as a non-invasive method to increase the plasticity of brain. Growing evidence has shown several brain disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, and chronic pain syndrome are improved following tDCS. In patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), increased brain rhythm activity particularly in the frontal l...

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) possesses cortico-cortical connections with the parietal and premotor cortices that are involved in visuomotor control of actions. Studies have shown that the DLPFC, especially the caudal part, has a crucial role in cognitive control of motor behavior, and that it uses spatial information in conjunction with information such as object identity, behavio...