Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience (Oct 2011)
Frontal cortex-like functions of the subthalamic nucleus
Abstract
The subthalamic nucleus has been considered a motor structure for a long time. Over the last twenty years, anatomical and behavioral data have highlighted the position of the STN within a prefrontal-associative and a limbic loop, suggesting that the STN should play a critical role in frontal functions such as attention, inhibitory control (including impulsive action, compulsivity, impulsive choice) and motivation. Here we will review the work highlighting these functions of STN.
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