The prefrontal cortex is the most sophisticated reflection of our evolution, from the evolutionary point of view it was the last cortical region to develop, to show a complete phylogenetic and ongenetic advance, we can easily identify it because it is located in this rough and wrinkled area, located in the nearest part of our face, where the most complex mental and cognitive processes develop.
One of the goals of neuropsychology is to understand this sophisticated relationship between the brain and our behavior, so no one will be surprised to realize that the prefrontal cortex is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and decisive areas to understand our abstract thinking and even our self-awareness. It is, so to speak, a structure that makes us truly human.
- The prefrontal cortex is the region of the brain associated with planning cognitively complex behaviors and personality expression.
Scientists call all these sophisticated tasks that the prefrontal cortex performs “executive functions. ” They decided to call them that for a very specific fact: we are faced with a privileged space in our brain where we can distinguish good from bad, where we can evaluate our environment and even establish control of our own thinking.
They are usually parents who regret their teen’s difficulty in understanding certain things, controlling their impulsivity, not reasoning enough in the face of certain behavior. We regret not knowing that the development of the prefrontal cortex is not actually completed until the age of 20 or 25.
Despite the appearance? Almost adults of our teenagers, it should not be forgotten that their brains are still immature, in fact, it is interesting to know that the human brain matures from the neck to the forehead and that, therefore, the prefrontal cortex is the last domain to be completed, to develop the most sophisticated and valuable skills of our species.
However, this does not mean that children and adolescents are unable to make decisions until they turn twenty, they make their decisions and often do so correctly, however, we must take into account that the development of these more complex skills takes year after year. year after year and that with more stimuli, challenges, supports and opportunities will optimize the evolution of these cognitive skills.
So let’s not hesitate to be more understanding with them at these ages, after all, they just need time, patience, understanding and good advice.
The prefrontal cortex is a sophisticated yet extremely complex control center that has connections to various regions of the brain, so structures such as the hippocampus, thalamus and cerebral lobes share direct paths with it, channels through which information constantly arrives.
Now let’s see what parts of the prefrontal cortex are
A few years ago, scientists at the University of Missouri explained why our prefrontal cortex is so large compared to other species, they said it was due to a process of demographic pressure, that is, as the number of people in our community increased, the way we interacted and communicated has improved.
All this, all this social, cognitive and emotional experience has shaped a more evolved prefrontal cortex, now let’s see what the functions of this special part of our brain are.
In conclusion, knowing the relevance of all these functions, one can imagine what it means to have an injury to the prefrontal cortex, people who have suffered trauma, neuronal deterioration or developmental problems in this area often have difficulty controlling their behavior, planning, deciding and creating.
They are also characterized by linear thinking and often antisocial behavior. They are very delicate and complex situations that show us, once again, the great importance of the cortical area to the human being and their social behavior.