Prefrontal Cortex (PFC):
« Back to Glossary IndexPrefrontal cortex (PFC) — located in the entire front section of the cerebrum’s frontal lobe, one of the last regions of the brain to mature — is our “personality center,” what makes us uniquely human. Science considers its main role is matching thoughts/actions with internal goals, noting a link between to personality and a will to live. It processes input, compares input to past experiences, and then reacts. The PFC integrates information from the cerebrum involved in processing/controlling complex cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning:
- Cognitive control/executive function (EF) in the PFC, manages conscious thought, reasoning/ judgment, attention, speech, senses/perception, intelligence, risk-processing, problem-solving, organization/planning, working memory/memory retrieval—and development of personality.
- Interaction with the limbic system, the brain’s emotional center, allowing the PFC to regulate/modulate emotional and behavioral responses and impulse control. It manages socially appropriate emotional impulses to behave with empathy, altruism, and the right facial expressions.
- Ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and other PFC regions are involved in emotion regulation, particularly social and affective functions.
- Damage to the PFC can lead to impaired emotion regulation, loss of impulse control, and poor decision-making.
- Oversees and directs other brain areas—aided by the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG). Also see medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC)
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