frontal cortex (FCX)
The term frontal cortex refers to the set of cortical areas defined on the basis of internal structure that comprise the frontal lobe in the human and the macaque ( Petrides-2012 ). Its boundaries are not precisely contiguous with those of the frontal lobe, which is defined on the basis of external sulcal landmarks.
The frontal cortex has two major components: motor cortex ( with subdivisions primary motor cortex and premotor cortex ) and prefrontal cortex ( with subdivisions lateral prefrontal cortex and orbital prefrontal cortex ).
Some authors include the anterior cingulate cortex, under the name medial prefrontal cortex of Ongur, as part of frontal cortex ( Ongur-2003; Carmichael-1994 ). Here that area is classified as limbic cortex, because topologically it is located in the limbic lobe and architectonically, unlike prefrontal cortex, which is granular cortex, it is agranular cortex ( Wallis-2012 ).
The rat and mouse have equivalents to the agranular motor cortex component of frontal cortex in primates, but they do not have equivalents to the granular prefrontal cortex of primates ( Wallis-2012 ).
Also known as: frontal cortex
NeuroNames ID: 3601