What Does the Frontopolar Cortex Contribute to Goal-Directed Cognition and Action?

Understanding the unique functions of different subregions of primate prefrontal cortex has been a longstanding goal in cog-nitive neuroscience. Yet, the anatomy and function of one of its largest subregions (the frontopolar cortex) remain enigmatic and underspecified. Our Society for Neuroscience minisymposium Primate Frontopolar Cortex: From Circuits to Complex Behaviors will comprise a range of new anatomic and functional approaches that have helped to clarify the basic circuit anat-omy of the frontal pole, its functional involvement during performance of cognitively demanding behavioral paradigms in monkeys and humans, and its clinical potential as a target for noninvasive brain stimulation in patients with brain disorders. This review consolidates knowledge about the anatomy and connectivity of frontopolar cortex and provides an integrative summary of its function in primates. We aim to answer the question: what, if anything, does frontopolar cortex contribute to goal-directed cognition and action?

Automated summary

Understanding the functions of different subregions of primate prefrontal cortex, including the frontopolar cortex, has been a long-standing goal in cognitive neuroscience. This review consolidates knowledge about the anatomy and connectivity of the frontopolar cortex and provides an integrative summary of its function in primates. The authors aim to answer the question of whether the frontopolar cortex contributes to goal-directed cognition and action.