Spatial maps in frontal and prefrontal cortex.

Though the function of prefrontal cortex has been extensively investigated, little is known about the internal organization of individual prefrontal areas. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to show that some frontal and prefrontal cortical areas represent visual space in orderly, reproducible, topographic maps. The map-containing areas partly overlap dorsolateral prefrontal areas engaged by working memory tasks. These maps may be useful for attending to task-relevant objects at various spatial locations, an aspect of the executive control of attention.