The prefrontal cortex is a section of the brain that is responsible for a huge number of functions. The mental abilities of a person, his behavior, and emotionality depend on the degree of her activity.
Location
The prefrontal cortex is located directly behind the frontal bone, in the front of the hemispheres, and is supplied with blood through the anterior and middle arteries. That is, in fact, it is part of the frontal lobe of the brain, which can be divided into three departments:
- dorsolateral;
- medial;
- orbitofrontal.
Most of the functions are carried by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, since it directs emotions and cognitive functions. It is called the “slate board” of consciousness on which we can place the image or information we need at a given time.
But in order to understand the significance of this part of the brain, it is necessary to consider all aspects of its work, as well as the functions for which it is responsible.
Empathy
Empathy is a term that is often mistakenly interpreted as the ability to empathize and empathize, but in fact this feeling is more important. It allows you to see and feel how others treat you.
In the modern civilized world, empathy has only a sociocultural aspect, but for a primitive person the ability to quickly recognize an enemy or friend was the key to preserving his life. Therefore, we can safely say that the prefrontal cortex of the brain carries a protective function.
Emotionality
It is human nature to experience emotions - from intense joy to deep sadness or anger. But the perception of him as a mentally healthy person depends on how appropriate he expresses his feelings.
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is responsible both for a person's ability to experience emotions and for the ability to assess the situation before expressing them in a non-verbal way. Emotion itself is formed by the limbic system, then through neural connections it enters the prefrontal cortex, which evaluates whether it is worth expressing the emotion and how. That is, in this way, a certain protective function of the brain works, which can reduce the degree of intensity of human emotions.
However, it is important to understand that the abilities of the prefrontal cortex are not as strong as they appear: if the limbic system is overexcited, the cortex will not be able to suppress the emotion, and, most likely, it will burst out. For example, if a person is moderately angry, he can pull himself together and express resentment by silence, but if the degree of his anger is strong, he may well yell at the offender, cry, or even use physical force.
And this will not testify in favor of the fact that there are functional disorders or organic lesions in the prefrontal cortex of the brain: it is simply physiologically capable of dealing only with moderate emotions.
Planning
In order to make plans, a person must not only imagine a hypothetical picture of the future with his abilities, difficulties, nuances, but also turn to his own experience and compare situations. Thus, the prefrontal cortex allows you to engage in effective forecasting, which is necessary in any area of the life of a capable person.
Plan implementation
In order to get a specific result, it is not enough for a person to simply evaluate the initial data and see the image of what he wants to get. He needs to have a plan to achieve the goal, step-by-step instructions drawn up for him by the brain. Moreover, it is not necessarily a matter of solving important and complex problems.
For example, having experienced a feeling of hunger, a person may realize that a plate with hot soup is a good solution to the problem. But if he is not able to compose an algorithm of actions for himself: to go to the kitchen, open the refrigerator, cook food, then his ability to know what he needs is absolutely useless.
Criticality
One of the most important diagnostic factors used by psychiatrists is the person’s ability to be critical. At the same time, it is important to evaluate with an adequate level of criticality both the events taking place around, the actions of other people, and your own actions.
As a rule, people who have mental illnesses or whose development of the prefrontal cortex is impaired are not capable of self-criticism, evaluate their behavior as normal, even with the most crazy actions.
Cognitive function
The most important properties of the brain are the perception of information, its processing, memorization and recovery from memory, if necessary. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for all these processes. That is, the ability to learn, memorize, and analyze depends on how well the front section of the frontal lobes of the brain functions.
Self control
The concept of self-control is very closely connected with emotions, level of criticality and planning of actions. For example, if a person suddenly wants to sing a song loudly in the middle of the street, his prefrontal cortex most likely will not let him do this, slowing down the impulse that would be perceived by others as an act of an individual who does not control himself.
But when a person has addiction, that is, a strong dependence on any habit, the control of the prefrontal cortex can weaken. For example, a heavy smoker can light a cigarette indoors, despite the ban, because the core of the brain requires you to get your dose of pleasure.
Disorders of the prefrontal cortex
Problems with the activity of the prefrontal cortex can be easily recognized by the signs listed below. But it is important to understand that these signs are not specific, that is, they can be caused by malformations of the prefrontal cortex or other diseases.
- Problems with attention - a person cannot concentrate on a problem, task, conversation, it is difficult for him to concentrate on any subject for a long time, even if it comes to watching a movie.
- Errors of interpretation of events taking place around, that is, a person may incorrectly perceive the attitude of other people towards him, not understand the dangers of close contact with them, or, on the contrary, conceal an insult, suspecting that every word or act of another person has an intention to harm him.
- The repetition of the same mistakes - the ability of a person to learn from his own experience is one of the most important tools of evolution. Putting his hand in the fire and realizing that it is painful and dangerous, a person brings this information into his consciousness and in the future he is careful not to allow direct contact of the flame with the skin. With pathologies of the prefrontal cortex, a person can repeat the same mistakes again and again, causing himself physical or emotional harm.
- Disorganization - we can talk about the inability to plan your day, to complete all things on time. The popular psychological term “procrastination”, which refers to the pathological desire to put off all things until later, can also be a consequence of a violation of the prefrontal cortex.
- Impulsivity, or rather, the inability to suppress their impulses. This can be expressed in the inability to control your emotions or in the inability to deny yourself pleasure: eat forbidden food for medical reasons, drink alcohol and so on.
Feature Recovery
Weakness of the prefrontal cortex can occur for various reasons. In particular, it appears with age, under the influence of severe stress, and for other reasons. If a person, comparing the signs of malfunction of the prefrontal cortex, noted some signs, the recommendations listed below can help him:
- Any spontaneous decisions must be avoided, especially in difficult emotional settings. In case of conflict, you should gently leave the conversation and carefully consider what is happening. In order to get out of the conflict it was easier, you can come up with a reason in advance, which can be used if necessary.
- For an effective organization, you need to make plans and write lists. A simple diary can make a person’s life with a weakened prefrontal cortex much more convenient and simple.
- In order to develop cognitive functions, you need to look for new ways to absorb information. For example, speaking aloud, drawing a diagram, writing on paper - one of the ways will certainly be effective, and a person will be able to perceive and remember information much easier.
- It is important to learn reflection - to analyze your actions, clearly understand why such a step was taken in this situation, what it led to and whether to do so in the future. Thus, a person independently develops the habit of using the accumulated experience to solve any problems, if, due to organic disorders, the brain does not resort to such an algorithm on its own.
So, the prefrontal cortex, the development of which made it possible to avoid committing rash acts, can be developed by a person subject to the presence of will and the ability to control their limbic system and emotions.