Fronto-parietal network (FPN)

The **fronto-parietal network** is a large-scale brain system comprising interconnected regions in the frontal and parietal lobes. It is not a single molecular target but rather an ensemble of cortical areas that work together to support high-level cognitive functions such as attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and abstract reasoning. Functional imaging studies show that this network is activated during tasks requiring complex cognition and attentional shifts. The fronto-parietal network overlaps with what has been called the "task-positive" or "cognitive control" networks in neuroscience literature. It interacts with other major brain networks to enable efficient information processing across different domains. This term does **not** refer to a discrete molecule, receptor, enzyme, transporter, or any canonical drug target class—it describes coordinated activity across multiple brain regions at the systems neuroscience level. Therefore it should not be considered a therapeutic target in the conventional pharmacological sense. If you are seeking information about specific molecular targets within this system—such as particular neurotransmitter receptors expressed in these regions—those would need to be specified individually. "A set of neural signals in parietal and frontal cortex mediates the covert allocation of attention... The frontoparietal network is not exclusively related to visual attention but may coincide or overlap with regions involved in oculomotor processing." "Frontoparietal networks... were significantly activated during abstract reasoning."

Other names

Frontoparietal networkFronto-parietal control networkCognitive control network (in some contexts)Dorsal attention network (overlapping regions)