Objective
The prefrontal cortex is phylogenetically the most recent region of the brain, and this structure reaches its highest level of development in humans in whom it represents about one third of the cerebral mass. Yet, the specific functions of the frontal lobes remain poorly understood, and are currently a topic of intensive research effort in neurosciences. Anatomical and neurophysiological investigations as well as studies of human patients and non-human primates with frontal lobe dysfunction, indicate that the prefrontal regions are a site of supramodal integration and that they play an important role in sequentially and hierarchically organized behaviors. It is becoming increasingly clear that multidisciplinary approaches are necessary in order to clarify the neural and cognitive organisation which govern such complex behaviors.
The present study focuses on what is thought to be a major function of the frontal lobes in humans, namely the planning of action, using three coordinated research methods. The first method focuses on planning and executive capacities of patients with primary and secondary dysfunction of the prefrontal regions. The second method uses functional brain imaging in intact human subjects to identify the regions involved in planning. The third method uses artificial neural networks to simulate temporally organised actions and and develop a testable model of neural organisation in order to account for normal and pathological planning. The major working hypothesis is that the prefrontal regions and the subcortical areas connected to it, such as the basal ganglia, constitute the substrate of higher-order cognitive representations which serve to initiate, steer and supervise ongoing behavior. The rationale for the experiments described in this project has its origin in work undertaken under a previous EC fellowship (Sirigu et al., 1995a, 1995b).
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy primatology
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence computational intelligence
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
75651 Paris
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.