prefrontal cortex
nounDefinition of prefrontal cortex
: the gray matter of the anterior part of the frontal lobe that is highly developed in humans and plays a role in the regulation of complex cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning
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The frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex, the origin of all that adult, higher-order thinking, are the final parts of the brain to mature and connect. — Jessica Lahey, Washington Post, "Fewer teens are drinking. But a group of pediatricians is begging parents to be vigilant.," 24 June 2019 In his case, the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, prefrontal cortex and visual cortex as well as the motor, pre-motor and somatosensory regions. — Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American, "Marvel Comics Gets Inside the Heads of the Avengers," 21 Aug. 2014 Picariello reminds frustrated parents that organizational skills come from the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which isn’t fully mature until early adulthood. — Jon Gorey, BostonGlobe.com, "Is your kids’ clutter driving you crazy? These six tips can help.," 25 July 2019 The prefrontal cortex is the executive office of the brain, responsible for focus, control and long-term planning. — Alison Gopnik, WSJ, "For Babies, Life May Be a Trip," 18 July 2018 Scientists have pinpointed the prefrontal cortex and amygdalae as the brain regions responsible for some people's aversion to robots. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "The Scientific Reason Some of Us Find Robots Creepy As Hell," 17 July 2019 Anxiety is physiological, influenced by a delicate balance of hormones and the tug of war between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. — Caroline Foran, Glamour, "No, You Don’t Have to ‘Justify’ Your Anxiety," 27 Mar. 2019 For decades in neuroscience, the most widely accepted model posited that short-term memories form rapidly in the hippocampus and are later transferred to the prefrontal cortex near the brain’s surface for long-term storage. — Quanta Magazine, "Light-Triggered Genes Reveal the Hidden Workings of Memory," 14 Dec. 2017 But surprisingly, a handful of cells in the prefrontal cortex responded as well. — Quanta Magazine, "Light-Triggered Genes Reveal the Hidden Workings of Memory," 14 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prefrontal cortex.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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