Imaging studies have been providing consistent evidence for the involvement of the PFC in the addiction process (41). In parallel, preclinical and clinical research has expanded our understanding of the complex role that the various regions in the PFC play in cognition. These identify a prominent role for the PFC in executive function that includes inhibitory control, decision making, emotional regulation, purposefulness, motivation, and salience attribution, among others. This explains why PFC disruption in addiction can have such catastrophic consequences across a wide range of behaviors (34).
