FIGURE 1.

Working model for prefrontal regions involved in social cognition in human and mouse. Medial regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are specifically related to social behavior, while the lateral regions, dlPFC and vlPFC, are sometimes active during social tasks, but are considered ‘domain general.’ The dmPFC is involved in perceptions of others as well as cooperation (Amodio and Frith, 2006; Mitchell et al., 2006). The mPFC has also been associated with perceptions of others, but some research suggests that it is more strongly associated with perceptions of self and similar others (Johnson et al., 2002; Mitchell et al., 2006; Mitchell, 2009). Ventral regions of the PFC are involved in social reward and punishment, motivation and ‘value’ (including economic) (de Quervain et al., 2004; Fehr and Camerer, 2007; Kohls et al., 2012). Parts of these divisions in the human brain share homology with the rodent PFC, as indicated. VmPFC contains BA 25, which is homologous to the rodent IL region, and area 32 is homologous to the PL. Area 24 in humans shares homology with the rodent ACC. These regions thus may play a shared role in social cognition across mammalian lineages.