The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex

The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex PDF Author: Richard E. Passingham
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191633097
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
The prefrontal cortex makes up almost a quarter of the human brain, and it expanded dramatically during primate evolution. The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex presents a new theory about its fundamental function. In this important new book, the authors argue that primate-specific parts of the prefrontal cortex evolved to reduce errors in foraging choices, so that particular ancestors of modern humans could overcome periodic food shortages. These developments laid the foundation for working out problems in our imagination, which resulted in the insights that allow humans to avoid errors entirely, at least at times. In the book, the authors detail which parts of the prefrontal cortex evolved exclusively in primates, how its connections explain why the prefrontal cortex alone can perform its function, and why other parts of the brain cannot do what the prefrontal cortex does. Based on an analysis of its evolutionary history, the book uses evidence from lesion, imaging, and cell-recording experiments to argue that the primate prefrontal cortex generates goals from a current behavioural context and that it can do so on the basis of single events. As a result, the prefrontal cortex uses the attentive control of behaviour to augment an older general-purpose learning system, one that evolved very early in the history of animals. This older system learns slowly and cumulatively over many experiences based on reinforcement. The authors argue that a new learning system evolved in primates at a particular time and place in their history, that it did so to decrease the errors inherent in the older learning system, and that severe volatility of food resources provided the driving force for these developments. Written by two leading brain scientists, The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex is an important contribution to our understanding of the evolution and functioning of the human brain.

The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex

The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex PDF Author: Richard E. Passingham
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191633097
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 424

Get Book Here

Book Description
The prefrontal cortex makes up almost a quarter of the human brain, and it expanded dramatically during primate evolution. The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex presents a new theory about its fundamental function. In this important new book, the authors argue that primate-specific parts of the prefrontal cortex evolved to reduce errors in foraging choices, so that particular ancestors of modern humans could overcome periodic food shortages. These developments laid the foundation for working out problems in our imagination, which resulted in the insights that allow humans to avoid errors entirely, at least at times. In the book, the authors detail which parts of the prefrontal cortex evolved exclusively in primates, how its connections explain why the prefrontal cortex alone can perform its function, and why other parts of the brain cannot do what the prefrontal cortex does. Based on an analysis of its evolutionary history, the book uses evidence from lesion, imaging, and cell-recording experiments to argue that the primate prefrontal cortex generates goals from a current behavioural context and that it can do so on the basis of single events. As a result, the prefrontal cortex uses the attentive control of behaviour to augment an older general-purpose learning system, one that evolved very early in the history of animals. This older system learns slowly and cumulatively over many experiences based on reinforcement. The authors argue that a new learning system evolved in primates at a particular time and place in their history, that it did so to decrease the errors inherent in the older learning system, and that severe volatility of food resources provided the driving force for these developments. Written by two leading brain scientists, The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex is an important contribution to our understanding of the evolution and functioning of the human brain.

Understanding the Prefrontal Cortex

Understanding the Prefrontal Cortex PDF Author: Richard Passingham
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198844573
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 529

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Book Description
"This chapter explains why this book is organized as it is. Each neocortical area has a unique pattern of inputs and outputs. This means that the challenge is to understand the transformation that each of the prefrontal areas performs from input to output. Functional brain imaging allows us to visualize the human brain at work, but it does not have the spatial resolution to identify the mechanisms that support the transformations that the brain performs. It is neurophysiological recordings from cells that tell us how these are achieved. Chapters 3-8 are therefore mainly devoted to studies that have been carried out on the prefrontal cortex of macaque monkeys because the methods are necessarily invasive. Apart from recording, the methods include making selective lesions in an area; it is these that identify the contribution that is unique to that area. The book ends by reviewing the evolution of the human prefrontal cortex; and the final two chapters discuss the ways in which the human prefrontal cortex is specialized in terms of function. In doing so, they attempt to account for the intellectual gap between humans and other primates"--

Development of the Prefrontal Cortex

Development of the Prefrontal Cortex PDF Author: Norman A. Krasnegor
Publisher: Brookes Publishing Company
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
For neuropsychologists, neurobiologists, psychologists, and researchers in developmental psychology and learning disabilities, this volume ensures a comprehensive understanding of the research on the development and function of the prefrontal cortex.

The Prefrontal Cortex

The Prefrontal Cortex PDF Author: Joaquin M. Fuster
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description


Comparative Neuroscience and Neurobiology

Comparative Neuroscience and Neurobiology PDF Author: ADELMAN
Publisher: Birkhäuser
ISBN: 1489967761
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description


Motor and Cognitive Functions of the Prefrontal Cortex

Motor and Cognitive Functions of the Prefrontal Cortex PDF Author: Anne-Marie Thierry
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642850073
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
The prefrontal cortex is particularly challenging as it has undergone great expansion during phylogenetic development and because it plays a crucial role in regulating most complex behaviors. Progress in research techniques in animals and in the development of non-invasive brain imaging approaches in humans have allowed resurgence of interest in the prefrontal cortex. To shed light on the rapidly accumulating information on motor and cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex the Fondation IPSEN organized a symposium. This volume contains the proceedings of this meeting giving the most up-to-date research, with interdisciplinarycontributions from such fields as neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, electrophysiology as well as from clinical and behavior studies. The contents of this book provides an important development in the understanding of the prefrontal cortex.

Active Inference

Active Inference PDF Author: Thomas Parr
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262362287
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
The first comprehensive treatment of active inference, an integrative perspective on brain, cognition, and behavior used across multiple disciplines. Active inference is a way of understanding sentient behavior—a theory that characterizes perception, planning, and action in terms of probabilistic inference. Developed by theoretical neuroscientist Karl Friston over years of groundbreaking research, active inference provides an integrated perspective on brain, cognition, and behavior that is increasingly used across multiple disciplines including neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. Active inference puts the action into perception. This book offers the first comprehensive treatment of active inference, covering theory, applications, and cognitive domains. Active inference is a “first principles” approach to understanding behavior and the brain, framed in terms of a single imperative to minimize free energy. The book emphasizes the implications of the free energy principle for understanding how the brain works. It first introduces active inference both conceptually and formally, contextualizing it within current theories of cognition. It then provides specific examples of computational models that use active inference to explain such cognitive phenomena as perception, attention, memory, and planning.

The Orbitofrontal Cortex

The Orbitofrontal Cortex PDF Author: David H. Zald
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198565747
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 686

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Book Description
The Orbitofronal Cortex plays a critical role in emotion, smell, and personality. This is the definitive volume on a brain region hitherto neglected in the neurosciences literature. It brings together world leaders in neuroscience to provide a comprehensive, integrative account of this region--one that will be the standard source for years to come.

Executive Function and Dysfunction

Executive Function and Dysfunction PDF Author: Scott J. Hunter
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139576682
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
Executive dysfunction occurs in many clinical conditions and has significant impact on multiple facets of life. This book summarizes executive function and dysfunction for practitioners, researchers and educators, covering lifespan development, assessment, impact and interventions. Drawing together clinical, neurobiological and developmental viewpoints, the authors summarize the latest research findings in practical and applied terms, and review conceptual approaches to assessing and identifying executive function and dysfunction. Several chapters are devoted to practical aspects of executive dysfunction, including research-based treatment strategies, educational implications, forensic cautions and intervention resources. Executive dysfunction in ADHD, LD, MR, autism, mood disorders, epilepsy, cancer and TBI is covered, with test performance, neuroimaging and clinical presentation for these clinical conditions. The book concludes with anticipation of future work in the field. This is a key reference for medical, psychological and educational professionals who work with children, adolescents and young adults in clinical and educational settings.

Stimulant Drugs and ADHD

Stimulant Drugs and ADHD PDF Author: Mary V. Solanto
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780195133714
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
Stimulant drugs are widely used in the treatment of ADHD in children and adults. Hundreds of studies over the past 60 years have demonstrated their effectiveness in improving attention span, increasing impulse control, and reducing hyperactivity and restlessness. Despite widespread interest in these compounds, however, their mechanisms of action in the central nervous system have remained poorly understood. Recent advances in the basic and clinical neurosciences now afford the possibility of elucidating these mechanisms. The current volume is the first to bring this expanding knowledge to bear on the central question of why and how stimulants exert their therapeutic effects. The result is a careful, comprehensive, and insightful integration of material by well-known scientists that significantly advances our understanding of stimulant effects and charts a course for future research. Part I presents a comprehensive description of the clinical features of ADHD and the clinical response to stimulants. Part II details the cortical and subcortical neuroanatomy and functional neurophysiology of dopamine and norepinephrine systems with respect to the regulation of attention, arousal, activity, and impulse control and the effects of stimulants on these systems. Part III is devoted to clinical research, including recent studies of neuroimaging, genetics, pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of stimulants, effects on cognitive functions, neurophysiological effects in humans with and without ADHD and in non-human primates, and comparison of stimulants and non-stimulants in the treatment of ADHD. Part IV is a masterful synthesis that presents alternative models of stimulant drug action and generates key hypotheses for continued research. The volume will be of keen interest to researchers and clinicians in psychiatry, psychology, and neurology, neuroscientists studying stimulants, and those pursuing development of new drugs to treat ADHD.