The orbitofrontal cortex and emotion

Abstract

Emotions can be defined as states elicited by instrumental reinforcers, that is, by rewards and punishers. Because of its roles in processing rewards and punishers, the orbitofrontal cortex is therefore the key brain region in emotion. Cognition can have a top-down biasing effect on the emotion-related systems in the orbitofrontal cortex. In addition to the emotional route to behavior, there is also a rational route to behavior involving reasoning, which involves systems outside the orbitofrontal cortex. Individual differences in sensitivity to rewards and punishers also provide a foundation for understanding many aspects of personality. The functions of the orbitofrontal cortex in emotion are compared with those of the amygdala, which it is argued becomes overshadowed by the orbitofrontal cortex in humans. Indeed, a current topic of interest is that the orbitofrontal cortex appears to be involved much more in subjective aspects of emotion in humans than the amygdala.