The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a part of the brain located at the front of the frontal lobe. It is responsible for a variety of complex behaviors and is involved in executive functions, which include decision-making, stress controllability, and planning complex cognitive behavior. The PFC intelligently regulates our thoughts, actions, and emotions through extensive connections with other brain regions. It is highly interconnected with much of the brain, including extensive connections with other cortical, subcortical, and brain stem sites.
The PFC can be further divided into subregions, although there is no clear consensus on the exact demarcations. Some common subregions include the dorsal, lateral, dorsal medial, ventral lateral, ventral medial, and orbital frontal cortex. The dorsal PFC is especially interconnected with brain regions involved in attention, cognition, and action, while the ventral PFC interconnects with brain regions involved in emotion.
The basic activity of the PFC is considered to be the orchestration of thoughts and actions in accordance with internal goals, and its most typical psychological term for functions carried out is executive function. The PFC helps us set and achieve goals, focus our attention, predict the consequences of our actions, anticipate events in the environment, control impulses, manage emotional reactions, and plan for the future.
