Segal Orin, Elkana Odelia
School of Behavioral Sciences, The Academic College of Tel Aviv Yaffo, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Front Neuroanat. 2023 Feb 27;17:1076095. doi: 10.3389/fnana.2023.1076095. eCollection 2023.
For many years, the functional role of the ventrolateral Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC) was associated with executive functions, specifically in the context of non-affective cognitive processes. However, recent research has suggested that the ventrolateral PFC is also involved in the attention system. The Ben Shalom model of the functional organization of the prefrontal cortex (2019) posits that the ventrolateral PFC selects perceptual stimuli after integration by the adjacent ventromedial PFC. This article reviews the state-of-the-art findings to better understand the role of the ventrolateral PFC in the selection of perceptual information as grounded in the Ben Shalom model. Numerous studies have reported converging evidence for the selective role of this area. However, most argue that this perceptual selection takes place through the active updating of information values linked to goal-oriented actions. These studies thus view the ventrolateral PFC as part of a system that actively manipulates and changes processed information such as the working memory function, rather than being part of the attention system. In agreement with this view, this review suggests that this area is part of a complex and modular working memory system and illustrates with reference to Diamond's work on ADD. This working memory system is functionally and anatomically dispersed and includes the dorsolateral PFC, the ACC, the parietal cortex, the basal ganglia, and the cerebellum. Hence, future research should continue to explore the specific neurofunctional roles of these areas in working memory systems, and the connections between the different subareas in this complex array.
多年来，腹外侧前额叶皮质（PFC）的功能作用与执行功能相关，特别是在非情感认知过程的背景下。然而，最近的研究表明，腹外侧PFC也参与了注意力系统。本·沙洛姆（Ben Shalom）的前额叶皮质功能组织模型（2019年）假定，腹外侧PFC在相邻的腹内侧PFC整合后选择感知刺激。本文回顾了最新研究结果，以便更好地理解基于本·沙洛姆模型的腹外侧PFC在感知信息选择中的作用。许多研究报告了该区域选择性作用的趋同证据。然而，大多数研究认为这种感知选择是通过与目标导向行动相关的信息值的主动更新来进行的。因此，这些研究将腹外侧PFC视为一个积极操纵和改变诸如工作记忆功能等处理信息的系统的一部分，而不是注意力系统的一部分。与这一观点一致，本综述表明该区域是一个复杂的模块化工作记忆系统的一部分，并参考戴蒙德（Diamond）关于注意力缺陷障碍（ADD）的研究进行了说明。这个工作记忆系统在功能和解剖学上是分散的，包括背外侧PFC、前扣带回（ACC）、顶叶皮质、基底神经节和小脑。因此，未来的研究应继续探索这些区域在工作记忆系统中的具体神经功能作用，以及这个复杂阵列中不同子区域之间的联系。
