Parieto-frontal circuits underlying motor and cognitive functions

This article provides an overview of the current knowledge on the anatomical and functional mechanisms underlying the planning and execution of goal-directed voluntary actions, adopting the concept of “extended parieto-frontal motor system” in a comparative perspective. Indeed, the motor system encompasses an articulated set of parietal and frontal brain regions beyond the primary motor cortex, with important homologies from prosimians to humans. Studies in the last decades have conclusively demonstrated that the parieto-frontal circuits can support several perceptual and cognitive functions, such as space representation, communication, imitation, and imagery. A deeper understanding of the parieto-frontal mechanisms can generate new opportunities to restore fundamental brain functions in humans when they are altered by a variety of neurological diseases.