This 2012 review of 89 studies was ostensibly of the prefrontal cortex. The review title showed how researchers characterize their work as studying the cerebrum, even when they primarily deal with the limbic system and lower brains.
For example, the reviewer discussed rodent studies of the developing pup fetus regarding:
- Sensory/motor – Paternal complex housing, maternal complex housing
- Stress – Mild stress, bystander stress, moderate stress
- Psychoactive drugs – Stimulants
- Adult stimulants – Ethanol
The active brain areas of the rodent fetus are the brainstem and the limbic system, and those areas were primarily what was studied. The cerebrum of the developing pup is a tiny strip that has little cognitive function.
http://www.pnas.org/content/109/Supplement_2/17186.full “Experience and the developing prefrontal cortex”
