What is special about the orbitofrontal cortex?

The orbitofrontal cortex contains the secondary taste cortex, in which the reward value of taste is represented. It also contains the secondary and tertiary olfactory cortical areas, in which information about the identity and also about the reward value of odours is represented.

What does prefrontal cortex control?

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a central role in cognitive control functions, and dopamine in the PFC modulates cognitive control, thereby influencing attention, impulse inhibition, prospective memory, and cognitive flexibility.

How does the orbitofrontal cortex contribute to decision-making?

The OFC is also frequently associated with certain types of decision-making. For example, it has been hypothesized that the OFC is important in decisions that must be made by comparing the relative value among several options to decide which is preferable.

Is the core function of orbitofrontal cortex to signal values or make predictions?

One dominant hypothesis about the function of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is that the OFC signals the subjective values of possible outcomes to other brain areas for learning and decision making. From this perspective, value signaling is simply one derivative of the core underlying function of OFC.

What can damage the orbitofrontal cortex?

Humans suffering damage to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are often described as impulsive. The most famous example is Phineas Gage, a railway worker, who in 1848 suffered extreme frontal lobe damage when a long iron rod was projected through his skull after an accidental explosion.

What is the difference between frontal and prefrontal cortex?

The frontal lobe is involved in reasoning, motor control, emotion, and language. It contains the motor cortex, which is involved in planning and coordinating movement; the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher-level cognitive functioning; and Broca’s area, which is essential for language production.

Does the prefrontal cortex control emotion?

The prefrontal cortex is like a control center, helping to guide our actions, and therefore, this area is also involved during emotion regulation. Both the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex are part of the emotion network.

What is the fusiform gyrus responsible for?

In general, the function of the fusiform gyrus entails higher processing of visual information, including the identification and differentiation of objects. In addition to high-level visual processing, the fusiform gyrus is involved in memory, multisensory integration and perception.

What happens if the orbitofrontal cortex is damaged?

Damage to the OFC can change the way the body responds to emotions, which may contribute to impulsivity and poor decision making. For example, when making a risky decision, healthy patients showed physical signs of anxiety, such as sweaty palms.

Is the orbitofrontal cortex part of the medial prefrontal cortex?

The orbitofrontal cortex is the area of the prefrontal cortex that sits just above the orbits (also known as the eye sockets). It is thus found at the very front of the brain, and has extensive connections with sensory areas as well as limbic system structures involved in emotion and memory.