Ruud M.W.J Berkers, Philipp C. Paulus, & Roland G. Benoit | The functional nature of the mPFC elucidated by episodic simulations

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is part of a core network that not only supports the recollection of past episodes but also the imagining of prospective events (e.g., meeting a person at a particular place). Here, we use such episodic simulation and fMRI to provide insights into the exact functions supported by the mPFC. In the first part, RMWJB reports graph analytical evidence that the ventral mPFC acts as a hub that coordinates whole-brain connectivity. This region thus seems to support episodic simulation by effectively integrating distributed information (e.g., about the people and places featuring in an imagined event). In the second part, PCP uses representational-similarity analysis to examine the nature of the representations in the mPFC. Specifically, he tests the hypothesis that this region codes for affective associative representations of our environment. Together, the two parts will shed light on the functions supported by the mPFC by highlighting both, its internal representations and its influence on the brain’s overall functional connectivity.