Salk scientists discover previously unknown requirement for brain development. Public release date: 20-Jun-2013 [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: Kat Kearneykkearney@salk.edu 619-296-8455Salk Institute Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have demonstrated that sensory regions in the brain develop in a fundamentally different way than previously thought, a finding that may yield new insights into visual and neural disorders.
In a paper published June 7, in Science, Salk researcher Dennis O'Leary and his colleagues have shown that genes alone do not determine how the cerebral cortex grows into separate functional areas. Instead, they show that input from the thalamus, the main switching station in the brain for sensory information, is crucially required. Part 4: Dr. Dan Siegel at the Garrison Institute, March 2010. Prefrontal cortex. In mammalian brain anatomy, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the thick outer layer (cerebral cortex) of the prefrontal lobe (the front portion of the frontal lobe).
The PFC contains Brodmann's areas 9, 10, 11, 12, 46, and 47. This brain region has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, and moderating social behavior.[1] The basic activity of this brain region is considered to be orchestration of thoughts and actions in accordance with internal goals.[2] Destruction of the anterior two-thirds results in deficits in concentration, orientation, abstracting ability, judgment, and problem solving ability; destruction of the orbital (frontal) lobe results in inappropriate social behavior.