prefrontal cortex

[pree-fruhn-tl kawr-teks]

noun

1. the forwardmost part of the frontal lobe, associated with complex brain functions such as emotional expression, behavioral regulation, decision making, attention, and planning: part of the cerebral cortex.

Word History and Origins

Origin of prefrontal cortex¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

During the task, the scientists monitored the electrical signals from hundreds of neurons in the prefrontal cortex, the brain region involved in decision-making and complex thought.

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Third, overuse of most addictive substances progressively damages the brain’s executive control network, the prefrontal cortex, and other key parts of the brain involved in impulse control and self-regulation.

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After all, you’re a human moving about the earth, and that means you’ve had this information disseminated through one of millions of T.S.-branded channels and firmly planted in your prefrontal cortex.

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The disease starts with small lesions developing in the prefrontal cortex, along the brain stem, which sets off a chain reaction that slowly kills brain cells.

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That universality, coupled with the sense that before the prefrontal cortex has fully formed, feelings will always run hot and bright, meant that the writers had a lot of empathy for these characters.

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