Prefrontal cortex as a key node in arousal circuitry

George A Mashour; Dinesh Pal; Emery N Brown

doi:10.1016/j.tins.2022.07.002

Prefrontal cortex as a key node in arousal circuitry

Trends Neurosci. 2022 Oct;45(10):722-732. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2022.07.002. Epub 2022 Aug 19.

Authors

George A Mashour¹, Dinesh Pal², Emery N Brown³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: gmashour@med.umich.edu.
² Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
³ Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

The role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the mechanism of consciousness is a matter of active debate. Most theoretical and empirical investigations have focused on whether the PFC is critical for the content of consciousness (i.e., the qualitative aspects of conscious experience). However, there is emerging evidence that, in addition to its well-established roles in cognition, the PFC is a key regulator of the level of consciousness (i.e., the global state of arousal). In this opinion article we review recent data supporting the hypothesis that the medial PFC is a critical node in arousal-promoting networks.

Keywords: brainstem; consciousness; general anesthesia; oscillations; sleep; thalamus.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Arousal
Cognition
Consciousness*
Humans
Prefrontal Cortex*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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