Orbital Prefrontal Cortex

Abstract

The orbital prefrontal cortex (PF) receives inputs from the olfactory, gustatory, somatosensory, visceral, and visual cortex. It is also interconnected with the amygdala which represents the current value of the resources, given the internal state of the animal. The worth of the different foods is compared in a ‘common currency’ of value. The central sector of the orbital prefrontal cortex uses vision to predict the value of the resources. These changes depend on the extent to which the animal has already become satiated on a particular food, and an interaction between the amygdala and the orbital PF cortex supports the ability to choose a new food, rather than the one on which the animal has become satiated. The lateral sector of the orbital PF cortex supports the ability to change behaviour depending on the outcome.