pre·fron·tal
(ˌ)prē-ˈfrən-tᵊl 
: anterior to or involving the anterior part of a frontal structure
a prefrontal bone
: a prefrontal part (such as a bone)
Examples of prefrontal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 9 Nov. 2023
The workspace is a network of cortical neurons in the front of the brain, with long-range projections to similar neurons distributed all over the neocortex in prefrontal, parietotemporal and cingulate associative cortices.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023
In med-speak, an upswing of activity in the medial prefrontal cortex was observed during freestyles (an area involved in motivating thoughts and actions), with a simultaneous decrease of activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal zone (which self-monitors and supervises our thoughts).
—Jonathan Rowe, Spin, 19 Sep. 2023
Knowing that prefrontal executive functions are still under construction, for example, may help parents to not overreact when their daughter suddenly dyes her hair orange and instead take solace in the notion that there is hope for better judgment in the future.
—Jay N. Giedd, Scientific American, 1 May 2016
In the brain, moderate amounts of stress hormones such as cortisol and noradrenaline boost activity in prefrontal areas that underlie executive functions.
—Clancy Blair, Scientific American, 1 May 2016
This deliberate, responsive and reliable capacity to combine and recombine mental objects is called prefrontal synthesis.
—Andrey Vyshedskiy, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2023
While your own prefrontal area might link a sequence of visual material to form an episodic memory, the Boskop may have added additional material from sounds, smells, and so on.
—Richard Granger, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022
Another key finding was that prefrontal brain activity increased each time people interacted with the real dog.
—People Staff, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2022
Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 27 June 2018
Dehaene and Changeux postulated that the workspace is instantiated by a network of pyramidal (excitatory) neurons linked to far-flung cortical regions, in particular the prefrontal, parietotemporal and midline (cingulate) associative areas.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2019
During the adolescent years the prefrontal cortex, the portion of your brain that sits just behind your forehead, is still forming.
—Molly Lotz, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2017
The combination of social media pressure and an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain that helps us rationalize decisions, control impulsivity and make judgments, can contribute to offensive online posts.
—Ana Homayoun, New York Times, 7 June 2017
And when people refused to profit from harming others, the prefrontal cortex increased its communication with the striatum.
—Molly Crockett, Scientific American Blog Network, 15 May 2017
The prefrontal cortex trims away neural connections that are not needed and begins the process of myelination, or wrapping nerve cells in myelin.
—Molly Lotz, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2017
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Adjective
The researchers didn’t study the prefrontal or parietal cortices, where the majority of number neurons are located in monkeys.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 9 Nov. 2023
The workspace is a network of cortical neurons in the front of the brain, with long-range projections to similar neurons distributed all over the neocortex in prefrontal, parietotemporal and cingulate associative cortices.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023
In med-speak, an upswing of activity in the medial prefrontal cortex was observed during freestyles (an area involved in motivating thoughts and actions), with a simultaneous decrease of activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal zone (which self-monitors and supervises our thoughts).
—Jonathan Rowe, Spin, 19 Sep. 2023
Knowing that prefrontal executive functions are still under construction, for example, may help parents to not overreact when their daughter suddenly dyes her hair orange and instead take solace in the notion that there is hope for better judgment in the future.
—Jay N. Giedd, Scientific American, 1 May 2016
In the brain, moderate amounts of stress hormones such as cortisol and noradrenaline boost activity in prefrontal areas that underlie executive functions.
—Clancy Blair, Scientific American, 1 May 2016
This deliberate, responsive and reliable capacity to combine and recombine mental objects is called prefrontal synthesis.
—Andrey Vyshedskiy, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2023
While your own prefrontal area might link a sequence of visual material to form an episodic memory, the Boskop may have added additional material from sounds, smells, and so on.
—Richard Granger, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022
Another key finding was that prefrontal brain activity increased each time people interacted with the real dog.
—People Staff, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2022
Noun
When corrected to brain size, the domesticated rabbits' amygdala's were roughly 9-10% smaller, while their medial prefrontal cortices were about 11-12% bigger.
—Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 27 June 2018
Dehaene and Changeux postulated that the workspace is instantiated by a network of pyramidal (excitatory) neurons linked to far-flung cortical regions, in particular the prefrontal, parietotemporal and midline (cingulate) associative areas.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2019
During the adolescent years the prefrontal cortex, the portion of your brain that sits just behind your forehead, is still forming.
—Molly Lotz, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2017
The combination of social media pressure and an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain that helps us rationalize decisions, control impulsivity and make judgments, can contribute to offensive online posts.
—Ana Homayoun, New York Times, 7 June 2017
And when people refused to profit from harming others, the prefrontal cortex increased its communication with the striatum.
—Molly Crockett, Scientific American Blog Network, 15 May 2017
The prefrontal cortex trims away neural connections that are not needed and begins the process of myelination, or wrapping nerve cells in myelin.
—Molly Lotz, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2017
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prefrontal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Prefrontal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prefrontal. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
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Medical Definition
prefrontal
adjective
pre·fron·tal
ˌprē-ˈfrənt-ᵊl
1
: situated or occurring anterior to a frontal structure
a prefrontal bone
2
: of, relating to, or constituting the prefrontal lobe or prefrontal cortex of the brain
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