Medalla Maria, Barbas Helen
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University Boston, MA, USA ; Neural Systems Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences, Boston University Boston, MA, USA.
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University Boston, MA, USA ; Neural Systems Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences, Boston University Boston, MA, USA ; Department of Health Sciences, Boston University Boston, MA, USA.
Front Neurosci. 2014 Apr 16;8:77. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00077. eCollection 2014.
No other modality is more frequently represented in the prefrontal cortex than the auditory, but the role of auditory information in prefrontal functions is not well understood. Pathways from auditory association cortices reach distinct sites in the lateral, orbital, and medial surfaces of the prefrontal cortex in rhesus monkeys. Among prefrontal areas, frontopolar area 10 has the densest interconnections with auditory association areas, spanning a large antero-posterior extent of the superior temporal gyrus from the temporal pole to auditory parabelt and belt regions. Moreover, auditory pathways make up the largest component of the extrinsic connections of area 10, suggesting a special relationship with the auditory modality. Here we review anatomic evidence showing that frontopolar area 10 is indeed the main frontal "auditory field" as the major recipient of auditory input in the frontal lobe and chief source of output to auditory cortices. Area 10 is thought to be the functional node for the most complex cognitive tasks of multitasking and keeping track of information for future decisions. These patterns suggest that the auditory association links of area 10 are critical for complex cognition. The first part of this review focuses on the organization of prefrontal-auditory pathways at the level of the system and the synapse, with a particular emphasis on area 10. Then we explore ideas on how the elusive role of area 10 in complex cognition may be related to the specialized relationship with auditory association cortices.
没有哪种感觉模态比听觉在额叶前皮质中更频繁地被表征，但听觉信息在额叶前功能中的作用尚未得到充分理解。在恒河猴中，从听觉联合皮质发出的通路到达额叶前皮质外侧、眶部和内侧表面的不同部位。在额叶前区域中，额极区10与听觉联合区域的相互连接最为密集，跨越了颞上回从颞极到听觉旁带和带状区域的较大前后范围。此外，听觉通路构成了10区外在连接的最大组成部分，这表明它与听觉模态存在特殊关系。在这里，我们回顾解剖学证据，表明额极区10确实是额叶的主要“听觉场”，是额叶中听觉输入的主要接受者和向听觉皮质输出的主要来源。10区被认为是执行多任务以及为未来决策追踪信息等最复杂认知任务的功能节点。这些模式表明，10区的听觉联合联系对复杂认知至关重要。本综述的第一部分重点关注系统和突触层面的额叶 - 听觉通路组织，尤其着重于10区。然后我们探讨关于10区在复杂认知中难以捉摸的作用可能如何与它和听觉联合皮质的特殊关系相关的观点。
