Frontal Lobe and the Cognitive Foundation of Behavioral Action

Motor representations are hierarchically organized in dorsolateral frontal cortex. The highest, most global plans and schemes of action appear to be represented in prefrontal cortex, intermediate ones in premotor cortex, and the most elementary motor acts in primary motor cortex. The confluence of external and internal inputs on frontal cortex leads to the activation of frontal neuron networks representing different categories of action. The activation of these networks is the physiological substrate for the initiation and execution of behavioral action.