Common cortical and subcortical targets of the dorsolateral prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices in the rhesus monkey: evidence for a distributed neural network subserving spatially guided behavior

Abstract

Common efferent projections of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex were examined in 3 rhesus monkeys by placing injections of tritiated amino acids and HRP in frontal and parietal cortices, respectively, of the same hemisphere. Terminal labeling originating from both frontal and parietal injection sites was found to be in apposition in 15 ipsilateral cortical areas: the supplementary motor cortex, the dorsal premotor cortex, the ventral premotor cortex, the anterior arcuate cortex (including the frontal eye fields), the orbitofrontal cortex, the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices, the frontoparietal operculum, the insular cortex, the medial parietal cortex, the superior temporal cortex, the parahippocampal gyrus, the presubiculum, the caudomedial lobule, and the medial prestriate cortex. Convergent terminal labeling was observed in the contralateral hemisphere as well, most prominently in the principal sulcal cortex, the superior arcuate cortex, and the superior temporal cortex. In certain common target areas, as for example the cingulate cortices, frontal and parietal efferents terminate in an array of interdigitating columns, an arrangement much like that observed for callosal and associational projections to the principal sulcus (Goldman-Rakic and Schwartz, 1982). In other areas, frontal and parietal terminals exhibit a laminar complementarity: in the depths of the superior temporal sulcus, prefrontal terminals are densely distributed within laminae I, III, and V, whereas parietal terminals occupy mainly laminae IV and VI directly below the prefrontal bands. Subcortical structures also receive apposing or overlapping projections from both prefrontal and parietal cortices. The dorsolateral prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices project to adjacent, longitudinal domains of the neostriatum, as has been described previously (Selemon and Goldman-Rakic, 1985); these projections are also found in close apposition in the claustrum, the amygdala, the caudomedial lobule, and throughout the anterior medial, medial dorsal, lateral dorsal, and medial pulvinar nuclei of the thalamus. In the brain stem, both areas of association cortex project to the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus and to the midline reticular formation of the pons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Dissociable relations between amygdala subregional networks and psychopathy trait dimensions in conduct‐disordered juvenile offenders

“…Within this system, posterolateral parietal regions seem to orient attention in time and space and are necessary for conscious perception, while lateral and medial prefrontal areas seemingly accommodate task‐driven attention modulation and response selection, along with cognitive and behavioral control of action [Arnsten and Rubia, 2012; Menon, 2011; Seeley et al, 2007]. Whereas lateral divisions within parietal and prefrontal cortices have sparse amygdalar connections [Amaral and Price, 1984; Leichnetz, 2001; Selemon and Goldmanrakic, 1988], medial prefrontal areas are richly and reciprocally connected to BLA neurons [Barbas et al, 2003; Ghashghaei and Barbas, 2002; Sah et al, 2003; Selemon and Goldmanrakic, 1988], and thus allow potential BLA‐frontoparietal interactions. Importantly, most frontoparietal system components exhibit BLA functional connectivity during task performance and at rest [Bzdok et al, 2013; Pessoa, 2011; Qin et al, 2012], further supporting the notion of reciprocal interactions.…”

“…Excessive frontoparietal control of BLA neurons and diminished BLA responding have been tentatively theorized in relation to impulsive and antisocial psychopathic traits [Blair, 2010; Blair, 2013b; Blair and Mitchell, 2009; Glenn et al, 2009; Larson et al, 2013; Moul et al, 2012], and subsumed to underpin the executive dysfunction and behavioral disinhibition that lie at the heart of these traits [Dolan and Anderson, 2002; Morgan and Lilienfeld, 2000; Racer et al, 2011; Sadeh and Verona, 2008; Sellbom and Verona, 2007; Zeier et al, 2012]. However, given the bidirectional flow of information between the BLA and frontoparietal structures [Barbas et al, 2003; Ghashghaei and Barbas, 2002; Sah et al, 2003; Selemon and Goldmanrakic, 1988], our finding may also reflect exaggerated bottom‐up signaling of motivational salience, potentially at the expense of negative emotional information. This fits well with the neurocognitive profile of behavioral psychopathic traits, which includes excessive deployment of cognitive resources towards positive and motivationally salient information [Dolan and Anderson, 2002; Morgan and Lilienfeld, 2000; Racer et al, 2011; Sadeh and Verona, 2008; Sellbom and Verona, 2007], and is consistent with the role of BLA in processing motivational salience [Dwyer and Killcross, 2006; Tye and Janak, 2007].…”

Altered regional homogeneity in post-traumatic stress disorder: a restingstate functional magnetic resonance imaging study

“…Hyperactivation in this site in PTSD may be linked to altered emotional processing [37] . Furthermore, anatomically and functionally connected to the posterior parietal lobe [38] , prefrontal cortex has also been thought to play a critical role in memory and visuospatial processing.…”

Collaborative Activity between Parietal and Dorso-Lateral Prefrontal Cortex in Dynamic Spatial Working Memory Revealed by fMRI

“…The present study suggests that such attributions of specialized function may be too narrow. In anatomical terms, the frontal and parietal cortices are heavily and reciprocally interconnected (Mesulam, 1998;Pandya and Barnes, 1987), and their connectivity is further highlighted by common projections to similar target regions (Selemon and Goldman-Rakic, 1988). These connections form the basis for functional interactions between these regions.…”