Executive Control

Abstract

Attention, working memory, decision-making, and executive control are fundamental cognitive functions that involve large-scale networks largely defined on the basis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. These networks include areas of the lateral and medial prefrontal, orbitofrontal, anterior, and midcingulate cortices, anterior insula, and lateral and medial posterior parietal cortices as well as areas of the temporal lobe and temporoparietal junction. These networks include the dorsal and ventral attention networks, frontoparietal, cingulo-opercular and salience control networks, and the default mode network. These networks are located along a hierarchical gradient of cortical organization. Dysfunction of large-scale cortical networks is a cardinal feature of neurodegenerative dementias and psychiatric disorders.