The Function of the Frontal Cortex

Walter C. Stanley and Julian Jaynes, Psychological Review, 1949, 56, 18-32.

Abstract: The evidence on frontal cortex function is reviewed, and 8 types of behavior change following bilateral ablation of the frontal cortex in monkeys are noted. It is hypothesized that one function of the primate’s frontal region is cortical act-inhibition, the neural substrate of which involves the suppressor areas. Several ways in which the suppressor areas may be related to cortical act-inhibition are suggested. An interpretation of the eight types of behavioral change is given in terms of the hypothesis.