The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) is a key region of the brain’s frontal lobe that plays a central role in higher-order cognition. It is consistently active when we reflect on ourselves, consider other people’s thoughts and feelings, and make complex decisions.
Because it connects both with emotion-related areas and networks that support abstract reasoning, the dmPFC serves as a bridge between how we think, feel, and interact socially.
Breaking Down the Term
- Dorso = top
- Medial = middle/inner surface
- Prefrontal = front of the frontal lobe (just behind the forehead)
- Cortex = outer layer of the brain, involved in advanced mental processes
Together, “dorsomedial prefrontal cortex” simply means the top-middle part of the prefrontal cortex.
Key Takeaways
- Cognitive hub – The dmPFC links thinking, emotion, and social processes in higher-order cognition.
- Self & others – It supports self-reflection, perspective-taking, and theory of mind.
- Emotion control – Connections with the amygdala help regulate fear and anxiety.
- Mental health – Dysfunction is linked to depression, anxiety, PTSD, autism, and schizophrenia.
- Practical importance – Insights guide therapy, brain stimulation, and studies of self and consciousness.
Anatomy and Location of the dmPFC
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) is part of the medial prefrontal cortex, located on the inner surface of the frontal lobes.
It spans regions of Brodmann areas 8, 9, 10, and sometimes parts of 24 and 32. These subregions overlap with the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and are situated just above the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC).
While the vmPFC is more closely tied to emotional regulation and reward, the dmPFC is more strongly linked to self-reflection, decision-making, and social reasoning.
Neural connections
The dmPFC has widespread connections with limbic regions, including the amygdala and hippocampus, allowing it to influence emotional responses and memory.
It also communicates with the thalamus and other prefrontal regions, supporting cognitive control and flexible behavior.
Importantly, the dmPFC is a key node in the default mode network (DMN)—a set of regions active during rest and self-referential thought.
Through its interactions with the posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and angular gyrus, the dmPFC supports processes like self-awareness, perspective-taking, and social cognition.
Core Functions of the dmPFC
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) supports several forms of higher-order cognition. It is strongly engaged during tasks that involve self-awareness, social reasoning, and evaluating complex choices.
Rather than handling one single function, the dmPFC acts as a flexible hub, linking together emotional, cognitive, and social processes.
Self-reflection and introspection
The dmPFC is central to thinking about the self. Neuroimaging studies show greater activation when people reflect on their own traits, emotions, or memories compared to thinking about neutral information.
This activity supports self-awareness and helps maintain a continuous sense of identity across time. By integrating personal information with broader social knowledge, the dmPFC allows us to evaluate our own mental and emotional states.
Decision-making and conflict processing
The dmPFC also contributes to decision-making, particularly when choices involve uncertainty or internal conflict.
It helps us weigh competing options and adjust when instinctive reactions clash with external demands or long-term goals.
For example, it is active when individuals must choose between equally appealing alternatives or when evaluating short-term versus long-term rewards.
In this way, the dmPFC plays a role in assigning value to different choices in both personal and social contexts.
Cognitive control
A further role of the dmPFC is in cognitive control—balancing rational thought with emotional impulses. It helps regulate impulsivity, reduce egocentric bias, and predict possible outcomes in ambiguous situations.
Studies suggest that increasing activity in this region can improve self-control and promote more deliberate decision-making. This makes the dmPFC important for adapting flexibly to complex or changing environments.
Role in Social Cognition
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) plays a central role in social cognition—our ability to understand and interact with others in sophisticated ways.
It’s particularly important for theory of mind, helping us recognize that other people have beliefs, intentions, and perspectives different from our own.
The dmPFC integrates multiple sources of social information for making judgments about others.
Empathy and Moral Reasoning
The dmPFC contributes substantially to empathy and moral evaluation. It becomes more active when we consider how others feel or when we make moral judgments that require understanding others’ intentions.
The region also plays a role in forming ethical judgments, especially when integrating information about others’ motives.
Social Evaluation
The dmPFC is sensitive to social feedback and our sense of belonging. Its activity also increases when anticipating approval, highlighting its involvement in both positive and negative social evaluation.
Role in Emotion Regulation and Mental Health
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) supports emotion regulation—the processes that help us manage feelings like fear or anxiety.
It helps to dampen intense emotional reactions by influencing limbic areas like the amygdala. This top-down regulation is essential for staying calm during stressful or threatening situations.
Depression and Anxiety Disorders
In mood and anxiety disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), the dmPFC often shows reduced engagement during tasks requiring emotion regulation (especially cognitive reappraisal).
That means individuals may struggle to reframe or manage negative thoughts effectively. Research suggests that those with depression also tend to have reduced gray matter volume in the dmPFC.
PTSD and Trauma
In post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the dmPFC (and other medial prefrontal areas) shows lower activation in response to emotional stimuli.
This underactivity weakens its ability to regulate fear circuits—especially the amygdala—resulting in persistent, intrusive distress and heightened reactivity.
Autism and Schizophrenia
While direct studies of dmPFC in these conditions are fewer, some findings suggest it may be less activated or differently engaged in both autism and schizophrenia.
In autism, this may contribute to challenges with social-emotional processing and self-referential thinking. Individuals with schizophrenia may experience similar disruptions, affecting cognitive control and emotion regulation.
References
Bora, E., Fornito, A., Pantelis, C., & Yücel, M. (2012). Gray matter abnormalities in Major Depressive Disorder: A meta-analysis of voxel based morphometry studies. Journal of Affective Disorders, 138(1-2), 9-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2011.03.049
Keller, M., Mendoza-Quiñones, R., Cabrera Muñoz, A., Iglesias-Fuster, J., Virués, A. V., Zvyagintsev, M., … & Mathiak, K. (2022). Transdiagnostic alterations in neural emotion regulation circuits–neural substrates of cognitive reappraisal in patients with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Bmc Psychiatry, 22(1), 173.
