The neurology of frontal lobe disorders can be summarized in descriptions o
f behavioral problems (apathy, etc.), of cognitive impairments (poor planni
ng, etc.), and of motor deficits (grasp reflex, etc.). Reviews of this sort
do not indicate, however, any regional specificity to the deficit profiles
or identify any of the component processes of the complex deficits-what ex
actly is "poor planning"? In this review we present specific steps that ass
ist in overcoming the limitations: (1) identify weaknesses in current under
standing, (2) operationally define the processes to be analyzed, (3) review
some methodologies that allow parsing of discreet processes into specific
frontal regions, (4) review the unique advantages and disadvantages of the
various neurological disorders that provide us with subjects for study, and
(5) propose approaches to advance further a useful clinical neurology of f
rontal robe disorders as well as a more finely grained scientific descripti
on of core frontal processes.