ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author presents a brief survey of contributions from behavioral electrophysiology, more specifically, single-unit studies, to our understanding of frontal lobe functions in the primate. Before summarizing the evidence, he points to a few general concepts that should help establish the background for discussion of that evidence. The evidence from lesion studies in humans and monkeys appears to rule out a unitary role for the prefrontal cortex. That evidence points to the heterogeneity of functions within the prefrontal cortical region. Cellular reactivity to various constituents of the behavioral structure of the trial is in itself an indication of the temporal integrative functions of prefrontal neurons. Cellular activation during the delay is conditional: It depends on the presence of an item of information to be retained in short-term memory or on the requirement to perform a decision or motor choice in the near future.
