Global connectivity of prefrontal cortex predicts cognitive control and intelligence

By Michael W. Cole, Tal Yarkoni, Grega Repovs, Alan Anticevic, Todd S. Braver. Journal of Neuroscience, 2012

618 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Control of thought and behavior is fundamental to human intelligence. Evidence suggests a frontoparietal brain network implements such cognitive control across diverse contexts. We identify a mechanism—global connectivity—by which components of this network might coordinate control of other networks. A lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) region's activity was found to predict performance in a high control demand working memory task and also to exhibit high global connectivity. Critically, global connectivity in this LPFC region, involving connections both within and outside the frontoparietal network, showed a highly selective relationship with individual differences in fluid intelligence. These findings suggest LPFC is a global hub with a brainwide influence that facilitates the ability to implement control processes central to human intelligence.

Subfields: Cognitive Neuroscience

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/0b843bd208540612c8eb6b39bc1bf4247511a849

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In Cognitive Neuroscience

Citations in the corpus

Advancing functional connectivity research from association to causation (2019, background): “Similarly, FC-behavior associations have revealed potential insights into the neural basis of cognition 37–39 , yet incomplete understanding of the mechanistic basis of FC also limits the utility of this approach.”
Intrinsic and task-evoked network architectures of the human brain. (2014, positive): “This is broadly consistent with previous studies showing correlations between individual differences in resting-state FC and task performance (Cole et al., 2011, 2012; Kelly et al., 2008; van den Heuvel et al., 2009) and with studies that identified correlations between resting-state FC and task…”
Cliques and cavities in the human connectome (2016, background): “2012), and have also been shown to predict individual differences in intelligence (Cole et al. 2012).”
Hierarchical Heterogeneity across Human Cortex Shapes Large-Scale Neural Dynamics (2018, neutral): “, 2017) and individual differences in cognition (Cole et al., 2012).”
Process Overlap Theory: A Unified Account of the General Factor of Intelligence (2016, background): “Moreover, several studies have demonstrated that variation in the global connectivity of these regions correlates with intelligence as well as cognitive control (Cole & Yarkoni, 2012; Heuvel & Stam, 2009; Santarnecchi & Galli, 2014; Song et al., 2008).”
Global Workspace Dynamics: Cortical “Binding and Propagation” Enables Conscious Contents (2013, background): “Cole et al. (2012) have proposed a “cognitive control system” for voluntary attention that involves global connectivity from the prefrontal cortex, and which predicts cognitive control and intelligence.”
Efficient hubs in the intelligent brain: Nodal efficiency of hub regions in the salience network is associated with general intelligence (2017, background): “…prefrontal cortex (PFC) and reported that it was more closely connected to the rest of the brain in more intelligent individuals (Song et al., 2008; Cole et al., 2012, 2015), the above-mentioned study by van den Heuvel et al. (2009) suggests intelligence-related differences also in the functional…”
Function in the Human Connectome: Task-fMRI and Individual Differences in Behavior (2013, background): “, 2009) as well as greater global connectivity in prefrontal cortex (Cole et al., 2012), thus providing evidence that more efficient connectivity contributes to more effective cognitive function.”
The role of prefrontal cortex in cognitive control and executive function (2021, background): “Stronger global or specific connectivity of the dlPFC to other regions throughout the brain has been associated with better performance on diverse CC tasks or factors [151, 152].”
Structure and function of complex brain networks (2013, background): “Many of these regions have been previously described as multi- or transmodal association areas(65) and exhibit complex physiological responses, diverse activation patterns across tasks, and widespread functional connectivity.(66) These physiological characterizations are consonant with their high ce”
Multi-task connectivity reveals flexible hubs for adaptive task control (2013, background): “More formally demonstrating this effect, there was a significant ‘motor region side’ by ‘response rule side’ ANOVA interaction for the LPFC region (F(1,14)=9.”
Network hubs in the human brain. (2013, background): “…the communication efﬁciency of medial parietal and prefrontal hub regions has been related to different subscales of intelligence [91] and the level of global connectivity of frontal hub regions was found to predict individual variations in cognitive control and intellectual performance [94].”
Altered connectivity in depression: GABA and glutamate neurotransmitter deficits and reversal by novel treatments (2019, methodology): “Global brain connectivity with global signal regression (GBCr) using resting state blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) fMRI is considered a valid marker of global intrinsic network activity that correlates with brain function and regional cerebral blood flow (Cole et al., 2012; Liang et al., 2013).”
Development of large-scale functional networks from birth to adulthood: a guide to neuroimaging literature (2017, background): “, 2009) and are associated with task-relevant behavioral performance (Cole et al., 2012; Lewis et al., 2009).”