Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or situated in the anterior part of the frontal lobe.
  • adjective Situated anterior to the frontal bone.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A prefrontal process or shield.
  • Of or pertaining to the fore part of the forehead, or to the part of the skull in which is the bone called the prefrontal.
  • noun A bone of the anterior region of the skull of sundry vertebrates, being a lateral ethmoidal or ante-orbital ossification, most distinct in vertebrates below birds.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective (Anat. & Zoöl.) Situated in front of the frontal bone, or the frontal region of the skull; ectethmoid, as a certain bone in the nasal capsule of many animals, and certain scales of reptiles and fishes.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, pertaining to or situated in the anterior part of the frontal lobe
  • adjective Of, pertaining to or situated in front of the frontal bone
  • noun A prefrontal bone, scale, etc.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective anterior to a frontal structure

Etymologies

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Examples

  • In the 1930s, Dr. Egas Moniz, a Portuguese neurologist, began experimenting with a new form of what became known as the prefrontal lobotomy, a radical surgery that severed nerve fibers in the part of the brain associated with emotions.

    20 High Resolution Photos From Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island | /Film 2010

  • To address the question of whether intention might be reflected in prefrontal cortical activity, the researchers in the new work used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess brain activity while subjects concentrated on their choice of intended mental action, but prior to execution of the action.

    Breakthrough In Brain Functioning Knowhow | Impact Lab 2007

  • The researchers found that the obese people had less brain activity in the area known as the prefrontal cortex, where powers of inhibition choosing not to do things are based, even when their blood sugar levels were normal.

    Study: Obese people's brains may crave high-calorie foods 2011

  • In the teenagers an unexpectedly high level of activity was observed in the part of the brain known as the prefrontal cortex, which is a region known to be involved in multi-tasking and making decisions.

    Teenagers Find it Difficult to Concentrate Because Their Brains Are Undeveloped | Impact Lab 2010

  • Apparently my brain — or the part of it I now refer to as my prefrontal Spitzer lobe — finds the sight of Edie Falco somewhat exciting.

    Re-Thinking Jeffrey Goldberg 2008

  • Apparently my brain — or the part of it I now refer to as my prefrontal Spitzer lobe — finds the sight of Edie Falco somewhat exciting.

    Re-Thinking Jeffrey Goldberg 2008

  • What we often see with lack of empathy is problems in what's called the prefrontal cortex, or the front third of the brain.

    CNN Transcript Apr 24, 2009 2009

  • But the part of your brain called the prefrontal cortex which is your brakes in your brain takes a much longer time to develop.

    CNN Transcript Aug 4, 2009 2009

  • Those whose explanations reflected empathy for the wrong-doers relied on a part of the brain above the eye-sockets called the prefrontal cortex (PFC).

    Marilia Duffles: Minding The Heart Is Jurisprudent 2009

  • Apparently my brain—or the part of it I now refer to as my prefrontal Spitzer lobe—finds the sight of Edie Falco somewhat exciting.

    20 « July « 2008 « Niqnaq 2008

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