The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is on the upper outer side of the prefrontal cortex: in humans it lies in the middle frontal gyrus, in the lateral parts of Brodmann areas 9 and 46. It is a functional area, not an anatomical structure. [1]
The 3D brain needs JavaScript. The text below still says where the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is and what it does.
Opens cut by a front (coronal) slice through the middle frontal gyrus, which holds the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Drag to turn, pinch or scroll to zoom, tap any part to name it; .
Lit: the whole middle frontal gyrus, on both sides. The area is part of this gyrus; its exact border is not drawn. It lies in the middle frontal gyrus, which runs front to back between the superior and inferior frontal gyri. The model draws that gyrus as one shape, so the whole gyrus is lit; its back end also holds the frontal eye fields, which are not part of this area in the usual definition. [1][2][3][4]
Definitions differ: it is usually placed in the lateral parts of areas 9 and 46; in macaque monkeys it lies around the principal sulcus (area 46); other sources assign it to areas 9 and 46, or to 8, 9 and 10. [1]
The middle frontal gyrus that holds it is bounded by the inferior frontal sulcus below, the superior frontal sulcus above and the precentral sulcus behind. [2]
One way of dividing the human prefrontal cortex splits it into a ventromedial part and a lateral part; the lateral part is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex plus the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. [5]
It is one of the most recently evolved parts of the human brain, and it keeps maturing into adulthood. [1]
It is not uniform: a 2013 meta-analysis split the right dlPFC into a front, lower cluster tied to conflict and performance monitoring and a back, upper cluster tied to working memory and carrying out actions. [1]
What it does
Its main role is in the executive functions: working memory, cognitive flexibility, planning, inhibition and abstract reasoning. It is not solely responsible for them; complex mental activity always needs the cortical and subcortical circuits it connects to. [1]
A worked example: the task most strongly tied to it is the delayed-response (A-not-B) task, finding a hidden object after a delay, which means holding its place in mind. It is not needed to recognise a single item, but it is needed when two items must be compared from memory. [1]
It is active when the costs and benefits of alternative choices are weighed, and in moral decisions such as how to share out limited resources. [1]
Some studies found verbal working memory mainly in the left dlPFC and visual or spatial working memory mainly in the right, but other studies differ, and the split was less clear in older adults. [1]
It is the highest cortical area involved in planning, organising and regulating movement. [1]
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dlPFC or DLPFC: dorsal means toward the top, lateral toward the outer side. [1]
Brodmann areas 9 and 46, their lateral parts; some sources use 8, 9 and 10 instead. [1]
Size
The model has no shape for the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex itself, so it is not measured here. The whole left middle frontal gyrus that holds it measures about 85 mm front to back, 62 mm top to bottom and 35 mm side to side on this model (the box it fits in, not its volume). [4]
Facts describe anatomy and normal function only. The 3D model is the adult male BodyParts3D brain (credits and licence); real brains vary in size and shape, so its measurements describe one model, not anyone’s brain.