Frontopolar

Frontopolar refers to the frontal pole of the brain, particularly the frontopolar cortex, the most anterior portion of the frontal lobes. In humans it largely corresponds to Brodmann area 10 and occupies the frontal pole of the prefrontal cortex on both hemispheres. Anatomically, it sits rostral to the dorsolateral and orbitofrontal regions and has extensive connections with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, temporal cortex, parietal areas, and limbic structures.

Functions attributed to the frontopolar cortex involve high-level cognitive control and integration of information across time. It is associated with managing multiple goals and task sets, prospective memory, planning and branching of cognitive tasks, and future-oriented thinking. It also plays a role in aspects of social cognition and meta-cognition. Neuroimaging studies report frontopolar activation during complex multitasking, exploratory decision making, abstract reasoning, and tasks requiring coordination of distant future consequences.

Clinical and research significance: lesions or disruption of frontopolar regions can impair multitasking, goal maintenance, and long-range planning. Age-related changes and certain neurodegenerative conditions can affect this area, contributing to deficits in prospective memory and complex decision making. Given its extensive connectivity, perturbations in the frontopolar cortex can influence a broad range of cognitive functions.

Evolution and notes: the frontopolar cortex is relatively expanded in humans compared with many other primates, a pattern linked to its proposed role in sophisticated planning, abstract reasoning, and other uniquely human cognitive capacities.