The prefrontal cortex is located in the frontal lobes of the brain. Functionally, the frontal lobes are involved in inhibiting inappropriate behavior, decision making and planning. For this reason, prefrontal cortex damage commonly results in an inability to plan or to behave in ways which are socially acceptable. If prefrontal cortex damage occurs in childhood, individuals may never develop any understanding of moral behavior. When an injury happens in adulthood, the person may realize what is socially required but may still be unable to behave in an acceptable way.
Prefrontal cortex damage is relatively common, due to the position of this region of the brain, which corresponds with the forehead. The function of this area of the cerebral cortex concerns organizing and carrying out complex tasks. Judgments and decisions could be impaired following its injury, as these are the parts of the brain which enable a person to consider possible future actions in the light of what happened in the past, allowing the probable best course of action to be chosen. As the impairments caused by prefrontal cortex damage are relatively specific, and most of the brain can still function normally, the condition may not be recognized as brain damage at first.
The prefrontal cortex is involved with the ability to suppress speech and actions which would be considered immoral or inappropriate in society. A relevant example of the results of prefrontal cortex damage might be that a person would be unable to refrain from eating when hungry, even when that involved removing food from someone else's plate. What is known as working memory can also be affected by prefrontal cortex damage. Working memory involves holding on to information for a number of seconds. As an example, it is used when a person needs to remember a telephone number for long enough to key the digits into the telephone.
In association with prefrontal cortex damage, there is typically a lack of empathy for other people and this is one of the factors involved in the development of antisocial behaviors. Some researchers have found that violent criminals have defective prefrontal cortexes, with a decrease in the amount of brain tissue in this area. Such findings are associated with behavior that involves dishonesty, a lack of guilt and an inability to see situations from a different point of view. Surgical treatment may be necessary for cases of prefrontal cortex damage which are caused by tumors or bleeding in the brain. In many cases, no treatment is possible and people will typically require supervision due to difficulties with organization and control of impulses.
