title: Cascade of neural processing orchestrates cognitive control in human frontal cortex.
abstract: Rapid and flexible interpretation of conflicting sensory inputs in the context of current goals is a critical component of cognitive control that is orchestrated by frontal cortex. The relative roles of distinct subregions within frontal cortex are poorly understood. To examine the dynamics underlying cognitive control across frontal regions, we took advantage of the spatiotemporal resolution of intracranial recordings in epilepsy patients while subjects resolved color-word conflict. We observed differential activity preceding the behavioral responses to conflict trials throughout frontal cortex; this activity was correlated with behavioral reaction times. These signals emerged first in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) before dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), followed by medial frontal cortex (mFC) and then by orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). These results disassociate the frontal subregions based on their dynamics, and suggest a temporal hierarchy for cognitive control in human cortex.
authors.affiliation: Program in Biophysics, Harvard University, Boston, United States.|Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.
authors.forename: Hanlin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiang-Yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chien-Chen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States.
authors.forename: Nathan E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Crone
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, United States.
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Program in Biophysics, Harvard University, Boston, United States.|Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States.|Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Boston, United States.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3505-8475
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kreiman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008959:Models, Neurological; D011930:Reaction Time; D012677:Sensation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cognitive control; computational neuroscience; frontal cortex; human; human neurophysiology; neuroscience; volitional control