From the Research
The frontohippocampus is not a recognized anatomical structure in neuroscience, and the term appears to be a conflation of the frontal lobe and hippocampus, which are distinct brain regions. The prefrontal cortex, however, is a well-defined area located in the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, responsible for executive functions including planning, decision-making, personality expression, and moderating social behavior 1. The hippocampus, which may be what was intended in the question, is located in the temporal lobe and plays crucial roles in the formation of new memories, spatial navigation, and connecting emotions to memories.
These structures do interact extensively through neural pathways, with the prefrontal cortex providing top-down regulation of hippocampal activity during memory encoding and retrieval, as suggested by studies on the hippocampo-prefrontal pathway 2. This interaction is essential for contextual memory processing and the integration of emotional and cognitive information. Understanding these distinct brain regions and their interactions is fundamental to comprehending how the brain processes information and regulates behavior.
Key differences between the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus include their location, function, and role in cognition and memory. The prefrontal cortex is involved in higher-order cognitive processes, such as decision-making and planning, whereas the hippocampus is critical for the formation of new memories and spatial navigation. The prefrontal cortex also has a more extensive network of connections with other brain regions, including the thalamus and basal ganglia, which are important for executive function and motor control 3.
In contrast, the hippocampus has a more limited network of connections, primarily with other temporal lobe structures, such as the amygdala and entorhinal cortex, which are involved in emotional processing and memory formation 4. Overall, while the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus are distinct brain regions with different functions and connections, they interact extensively to support complex cognitive and behavioral processes. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus should be considered as separate entities with unique contributions to brain function, rather than being conflated into a single structure such as the "frontohippocampus".