Prefrontal Cortex
Neuroscience
Definition
The prefrontal cortex is the foremost part of the frontal lobe and controls executive functions such as planning, decision-making, and impulse control. It also initiates and controls mental images.
Detailed Explanation
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the evolutionarily youngest brain region and central to higher cognitive functions. It controls working memory, attention, planning, and self-control. During visual imagination, the PFC sends top-down signals to the visual cortex to generate inner images. In aphantasia, this top-down coupling between prefrontal and visual networks is discussed as altered rather than simply switched off — the evidence is still preliminary (hypothesis; see Milton et al. 2021, doi:10.1093/texcom/tgab035). The PFC itself functions normally. Interestingly, aphantasics often show increased PFC activity during visualization tasks, suggesting enhanced conceptual or verbal processing as compensation. The PFC matures into early adulthood, which may be related to why children often report more vivid mental images. It is also debated whether damage to the PFC can contribute to acquired aphantasia.
Keywords
- prefrontal cortex
- frontal lobe
- executive functions
- PFC
Learn more
Related Terms
- Visual CortexThe visual cortex is the region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information. Located in the back of the head (occipital lobe), it is responsible for both seeing and visual imagination.
- Default Mode NetworkThe Default Mode Network (DMN) is a network of brain regions active during daydreaming, self-reflection, and mental time travel. Early studies point to altered activation patterns in people with aphantasia (hypothesis, not yet conclusively established).
- AphantasiaAphantasia is the inability to voluntarily create mental images. People with aphantasia cannot visualize faces, places, or objects in their mind's eye, although they can recognize and describe them. The term was coined by neurologist Adam Zeman in 2015.
External Resources
Do you have Aphantasia?
Take our VST-16 test and find out where you fall on the visualization spectrum.