An information theoretical approach to prefrontal executive function

Koechlin, Etienne; Summerfield, Christopher

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2007.04.005

Cited by 998 publications

(917 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…This may be due to the relatively low level of cognitive control in CONT compared with the other conditions. In the cascade model, BA 6 is known to be related to sensorimotor control, which integrates signals from stimuli to decide how to act at the lowest level of hierarchy 4,5 . In our study, even though participants were required to associate the stimulus with its context in CONT, the processing demand for the task may have been similar to simple sensorimotor control, resulting in the activation in BA 6.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, the 'cascade model', focusing on the temporal context, describes how executive function can be fractionated into hierarchically ordered control processes, each responsible for selecting an action based on temporal framing 5 . From this temporal dimension, one can distinguish three major cognitive control processes with increasing levels of hierarchy: contextual control (CONT) for making stimulus-response associations in the immediate context, episodic control (EPIS) for responding to stimuli depending on discrete past events, and branching control (BRAN) for selecting subsequent actions based on information conveyed by past events while intervening actions occur.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From this temporal dimension, one can distinguish three major cognitive control processes with increasing levels of hierarchy: contextual control (CONT) for making stimulus-response associations in the immediate context, episodic control (EPIS) for responding to stimuli depending on discrete past events, and branching control (BRAN) for selecting subsequent actions based on information conveyed by past events while intervening actions occur. The left PFC has been described as forming a cascade of subregions along the posterior-to-anterior axis based on the three levels of cognitive control: the posterior PFC (Brodmann area (BA) 44) for CONT, representing the lowest level of hierarchy; the more anterior PFC (BA 45) for EPIS, representing a mid-level of hierarchy; and the most anterior frontopolar cortex (BA 10) for BRAN, representing the highest level of hierarchy [4][5][6] . Similar to cognitive control, cross-temporal contingencies are a pivotal factor in natural language processing.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Two principles of organization in the prefrontal cortex are cognitive hierarchy and degree of automaticity

Jeon

Friederici

2013

Nat Commun

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The lateral prefrontal cortex is known to be organized by cognitive hierarchies following a posterior-to-anterior gradient. Here we test whether this model applies across different cognitive domains by varying levels of cognitive hierarchy in first language, second language and non-language domains. These domains vary in their degree of automaticity with first language being the most automatic. For second language/non-language a clear gradient pattern of activation depending on the level of hierarchy is observed in the prefrontal cortex with the highest level of hierarchy recruiting its most anterior region, whereas for first language the highest level of hierarchy recruits its most posterior region. Moreover, second language/non-language and first language differ in the structural connectivity of their underlying networks. The current data strongly suggest that functional segregation of the prefrontal cortex is determined by cognitive hierarchy and the degree of automaticity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Two principles of organization in the prefrontal cortex are cognitive hierarchy and degree of automaticity

Jeon

Friederici

2013

Nat Commun

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“…The anterior cingulum network also has a role in executive functions (Miller and Cohen, 2001), which require the selection of action by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (cognitive control) and motivation to engage in the action before performing it. Thus, the cingulate network is involved in the initiation and PET scan imaging in PWS C Mantoulan et al maintenance of motivation to complete an action (Koechlin and Summerfield, 2007). Hypoperfusion of the anterior cingulum and the cingulate gyrus in patients with PWS may be related to their lack of empathy and TOM, which causes them difficulties in interacting with peers and understanding their social environment (Koenig et al, 2004), and may also be related to the high emotional lability and episodes of uncontrolled emotion that they characteristically display.…”

Section: Anterior Cingulum and Superior Temporal Region Hypoperfusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PET Scan Perfusion Imaging in the Prader–Willi Syndrome: New Insights into the Psychiatric and Social Disturbances

Mantoulan

Payoux

Diene

et al. 2010

J Cereb Blood Flow Metab

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The Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a rare multisystem genetic disease, leads to severe disabilities, such as morbid obesity, endocrine dysfunctions, psychiatric disorders, and social disturbances. We explored the whole brain of patients with PWS to detect abnormalities that might explain the behavioral and social disturbances, as well as the psychiatric disorders of these patients. Nine patients with PWS (six males, three females; mean age 16.4 years) underwent a positron emission tomography (PET) scan with H 2 15 O as a tracer to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). The images were compared with those acquired from nine controls (six males, three females; mean age 21.2 years). A morphologic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was also performed in PWS patients, and their cognitive and behavioral skills were assessed with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III and the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL). The MRI images showed no evident anatomic abnormalities, whereas PET scans revealed hypoperfused brain regions in PWS patients compared with controls, particularly in the anterior cingulum and superior temporal regions. We observed a significant relationship (P < 0.05) between rCBF in the hypoperfused regions and CBCL scores. The functional consequences of these perfusion abnormalities in specific brain regions might explain the behavioral and social problems observed in these individuals.

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“…Fluid abilities are globally correlated with a variety of academic skills including reading comprehension and mathematics (Snow et al 1984). A neurobiological model of fluid reasoning has been proposed ) involving a network of brain regions: the left fronto-parietal system (including the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC, and inferior parietal lobule, IPL) as well as the anterior pole of the frontal cortex known as the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC), which is thought to play a role in setting and executing complex abstract rules (Badre et al 2005;Koechlin and Summerfield 2007). These regions are ubiquitously activated across verbal and nonverbal analogy tasks ) and relational reasoning tasks (Wendelken and Bunge 2010), as well as matrix reasoning tasks (Crone et al 2009), yet the functions they subserve may be distinct.…”

Section: Fluid Reasoningmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role and Sources of Individual Differences in Critical-Analytic Thinking: a Capsule Overview

et al. 2014

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Critical-analytic thinking is typically conceived as a meta-construct that arises at the junction of a problem state (i.e., a situation that requires analysis that challenges previous assumptions) and an individual (i.e., an entity with the capacity to exercise critical-analytic thinking). With regard to the latter, there is a substantial body of research focusing on developmental and educational prerequisites for critical-analytic thinking. A less studied aspect of critical-analytic thinking pertains to individual differences, particularly in the set of foundational or componential cognitive skills that embody this construct. The bottom line here is whether, all else being equal (i.e., the same situation and the same developmental/ educational stage), there is variation in whether, when, and how people think critically/ analytically. We argue that there is unequivocal evidence for both the existence and importance of individual differences in critical-analytic thinking. This review focuses on theoretical and empirical evidence, identifying the cognitive processes that serve as the sources of these individual differences and capturing these processes' differential contributions to both the critical and analytic components of this construct.Keywords Critical analytic thinking . Neurocognitive mechanisms . Fluid reasoning . Executive function . Genetic factors . Environmental factors For better or for worse, people differ. The number of dimensions on which they differ is endless; one such dimension is the way they think. Here we are interested in surveying both the presentation and sources of individual differences in critical-analytic thinking. Whereas Educ Psychol Rev (2014) what critical-analytic thinking is, the construct is ill-defined and this has been a source of constant debate. Although the debate has swung from a notion of the skills and capacities necessary for critical-analytic thinking to one of disposition toward truth-seeking (Burbules and Berk 1999), the former provides for analysis and the measurement a set of requisite cognitive processes to unpack, with respect to variability in performance in situations and on tasks requiring critical-analytic thinking. As critical-analytic thinking occurs so naturally for some, yet so painfully arduous for others, it is likely that this type of thinking embeds a "vast variety of cognitive skills" (Lipman 1988) that must be orchestrated together, both developmentally as a capacity, and concurrently, as an act. Thus, both the skills and the way they are combined generate a source of individual differences. The intent of this review is to provide an understanding of how variations in several core neurocognitive systems, stemming from genetic and environmental sources, lead to differences in the capacity for and competency in critical-analytic thinking.Critical-analytic thinking involves the ability to overcome one's own biases by decontextualizing an argument (the critical component) and evaluating it rationally (the analytic component), rather than lo...

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An information theoretical approach to prefrontal executive function

Cited by 998 publications

References 36 publications

Two principles of organization in the prefrontal cortex are cognitive hierarchy and degree of automaticity

Two principles of organization in the prefrontal cortex are cognitive hierarchy and degree of automaticity

PET Scan Perfusion Imaging in the Prader–Willi Syndrome: New Insights into the Psychiatric and Social Disturbances

The Role and Sources of Individual Differences in Critical-Analytic Thinking: a Capsule Overview

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