Rules relating connections to cortical structure in primate prefrontal cortex

According to the structural model of prefrontal cortex, the pattern of corticocortical connections is intricately linked to cortical architecture (Cereb. Cortex 7 (1997) 635). We further explored this model by using quantitative methods to describe the structure and connections of prefrontal cortices. Multi-parameter analyses distinguished different cortical types, positioning at one extreme medial and orbitofrontal (limbic) cortices, and at the other extreme, lateral (eulaminate) cortices. The structural model accurately predicted the laminar pattern of connections, and the relative distribution of connections within cortical layers, based on cortical type. This model may provide the foundation to predict the nature of corticocortical processing and its disruption in psychiatric and neurologic diseases, where neuropathology affects specific types of neurons and layers.