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Functions of the Frontal Lobes: Relation to Executive Functions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 May 2011

Donald T. Stuss
Donald T. Stuss*
Affiliation:
Ontario Brain Institute, Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Donald T. Stuss, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Proceeding from the assumptions that specific frontal regions control discrete functions and that very basic cognitive processes can be systematically manipulated to reveal those functions, recent reports have demonstrated consistent anatomical/functional relationships: dorsomedial for energization, left dorsolateral for task setting, and right dorsolateral for monitoring. There is no central executive. There are, instead, numerous domain general processes discretely distributed across several frontal regions that act in concert to accomplish control. Beyond these functions, there are two additional “frontal” anatomical/functional relationships: ventral–medial/orbital for emotional and behavioral regulation, and frontopolar for integrative—even meta-cognitive—functions. (JINS, 2011, 17, 759–765)

Keywords

Task settingMonitoringEnergizationMeta-cognitionEmotion regulationBehavior regulation
Type
Short Review
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 17 , Issue 5 , September 2011 , pp. 759 - 765
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2011

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