title: Prefrontal cortex organization: dissociating effects of temporal abstraction, relational abstraction, and integration with FMRI.
abstract: The functions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) underlie higher-level cognition. Varying proposals suggest that the PFC is organized along a rostral-caudal gradient of abstraction with more abstract representations/processes associated with more rostral areas. However, the operational definition of abstraction is unclear. Here, we contrasted 2 prominent theories of abstraction--temporal and relational--using fMRI. We further examined whether integrating abstract rules--a function common to each theory--recruited the PFC independently of other abstraction effects. While robust effects of relational abstraction were present in the PFC, temporal abstraction effects were absent. Instead, we found activations specific to the integration of relational rules in areas previously shown to be associated with temporal abstraction. We suggest that previous effects of temporal abstraction were due to confounds with integration demands. We propose an integration framework to understand the functions of the PFC that resolves discrepancies in prior data.
authors.affiliation: Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3190, USA and.
authors.forename: Derek Evan
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Nee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007257:Information Theory; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: PFC; cognitive control; executive function; hierarchical; rule representation
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e43731
references.pmid: 22937085
references.citation: Nat Neurosci. 2009 Jul;12(7):939-45
references.pmid: 19503087
references.citation: Neuroimage. 2002 Apr;15(4):870-8
references.pmid: 11906227
references.citation: J Cogn Neurosci. 2007 Dec;19(12):2082-99
references.pmid: 17892391
references.citation: Nature. 1999 May 13;399(6732):148-51
references.pmid: 10335843
references.citation: Neuron. 2009 Jun 11;62(5):733-43
references.pmid: 19524531
references.citation: Brain Res. 2009 Aug 25;1286:94-105
references.pmid: 19505444
references.citation: Cereb Cortex. 2002 May;12(5):477-85
references.pmid: 11950765
references.citation: Neuroimage. 2001 May;13(5):903-19
references.pmid: 11304086
references.citation: Neuropsychologia. 2003;41(8):906-18
references.pmid: 12667527
references.citation: Cereb Cortex. 2007 May;17(5):993-1006
references.pmid: 16769743
references.citation: Neuron. 2006 Jun 15;50(6):963-74
references.pmid: 16772176
references.citation: Trends Cogn Sci. 2003 Sep;7(9):415-423
references.pmid: 12963473
references.citation: Neuroimage. 2005 Apr 15;25(3):653-60
references.pmid: 15808966
references.citation: Neuroimage. 2002 Mar;15(3):523-36
references.pmid: 11848695
references.citation: J Cogn Neurosci. 2000 Jan;12(1):1-47
references.pmid: 10769304
references.citation: J Neurosci. 2007 Oct 24;27(43):11573-86
references.pmid: 17959800
references.citation: Neuroimage. 1997 Aug;6(2):122-38
references.pmid: 9299386
references.citation: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2004 Mar;5(3):184-94
references.pmid: 14976518
references.citation: Annu Rev Neurosci. 2004;27:611-47
references.pmid: 15217345
references.citation: J Cogn Neurosci. 2010 May;22(5):837-47
references.pmid: 19320546
references.citation: Nature. 2006 Jun 15;441(7095):876-9
references.pmid: 16778890
references.citation: Trends Neurosci. 2010 Aug;33(8):355-61
references.pmid: 20573407
references.citation: Cereb Cortex. 2013 Feb;23(2):264-82
references.pmid: 22314046
references.citation: Science. 2007 Oct 26;318(5850):594-8
references.pmid: 17962551
references.citation: Trends Cogn Sci. 2007 Jun;11(6):229-35
references.pmid: 17475536
references.citation: Neuroimage. 2001 Nov;14(5):1136-49
references.pmid: 11697945
references.citation: Behav Neurosci. 2003 Dec;117(6):1161-8
references.pmid: 14674837
references.citation: Psychol Sci. 2005 Feb;16(2):114-22
references.pmid: 15686577
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 2003 Nov;90(5):3419-28
references.pmid: 12867532
references.citation: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2003 Feb;4(2):139-47
references.pmid: 12563285
references.citation: Cereb Cortex. 2013 Sep;23(9):2146-58
references.pmid: 22798339
references.citation: Nature. 2001 Jun 21;411(6840):953-6
references.pmid: 11418860
references.citation: J Neurophysiol. 2003 Sep;90(3):1790-806
references.pmid: 12736235
references.citation: Cereb Cortex. 2005 Mar;15(3):239-49
references.pmid: 15238433
references.citation: Trends Cogn Sci. 2008 May;12(5):193-200
references.pmid: 18403252
references.citation: Trends Neurosci. 2000 Oct;23(10):475-83
references.pmid: 11006464
references.citation: Science. 2010 Apr 16;328(5976):360-3
references.pmid: 20395509
references.citation: Science. 2003 Nov 14;302(5648):1181-5
references.pmid: 14615530
references.citation: Neuroimage. 2012 Nov 15;63(3):1285-94
references.pmid: 22992491
references.citation: Neuroimage. 1997 Oct;6(3):209-17
references.pmid: 9344825
references.citation: Annu Rev Neurosci. 2000;23:315-41
references.pmid: 10845067
references.citation: Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2004 Dec;4(4):501-16
references.pmid: 15849893
references.citation: J Cogn Neurosci. 2008 Apr;20(4):682-93
references.pmid: 18052787
references.citation: Cereb Cortex. 2001 Jun;11(6):558-71
references.pmid: 11375917
references.citation: J Neurosci. 2011 Feb 23;31(8):2888-94
references.pmid: 21414910
references.citation: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2009 Sep;10(9):659-69
references.pmid: 19672274
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(2):e30284
references.pmid: 22355309
references.citation: Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2006 Apr;16(2):159-65
references.pmid: 16563729