Locating the core areas of frontal-parietal network: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

AbstractPrior published studies indicated the involvement of the frontal parietal (FPN) network in execution of different cognitive functions, but the diversity of functions led to a lack of uniformity in the definition of this complex network system. In the present study, 325 functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets were analysed in order to map the core regions of the FPN based on control signal patterns associated with different cognitive functions. Meta-analysis revealed a bilateral network for different executive control functions. Activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis for different effectors within the network revealed high comparable activation intensity and consistent function response to the overall analyses on attention, working memory and cognitive control, respectively, indicating an independence of these findings from potential divergences. On the other hand, ALE contrast analyses on our dataset, as well as meta-analytic connectivity modelling (MACM) analyses on the BrainMap database, indicated that executive control tasks reliably elicit activity in consistent brain areas include dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), medial frontal gyrus (medFG), superior frontal gyrus (sFG), bilateral middle frontal gyrus (mFG), inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and anterior insula. Our findings summarize and refine previous descriptions of the human brain networks related to executive control function. The significant contributions in cognitive function of these areas are also been clarified.