Divergence of rodent and primate medial frontal cortex functional connectivity

Significance The question of the whether rodent and primate medial frontal cortex (MFC) share similar functional organization, and whether the rodent medial frontal cortex is functionally analogous to the primate lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is a contentious issue. Here, we probe this long-standing question by comparing whole-brain functional connectivity of the MFC in rodents, nonhuman primates (marmosets), and humans. The results demonstrated a remarkably similar intrinsic functional organization of the MFC across the three species, but clear differences between rodent and primate MFC whole-brain connectivity. Furthermore, in contrast to the common proposal that the rat MFC is functionally analogous with the primate LFC, our results demonstrate clear differences between the rodent MFC and primate LFC interareal functional connectivity.