Cited by 1,327Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorOlfactory and Sensory Function Studies

The functions of the orbitofrontal cortex

Rolls, Edmund T.·2004·Brain and Cognition

Abstract

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. The orbitofrontal cortex also receives information about the sight of objects from the temporal lobe cortical visual areas, and neurons in it learn and reverse the visual stimulus to which they respond when the association of the visual stimulus with a primary reinforcing stimulus (such as taste) is reversed. This is an example of stimulus-reinforcement association learning, and is a type of stimulus-stimulus association learning. More generally, the stimulus might be a visual or olfactory stimulus, and the primary (unlearned) positive or negative reinforcer a taste or touch. A somatosensory input is revealed by neurons that respond to the texture of food in the mouth, including a population that responds to the mouth feel of fat. In complementary neuroimaging studies in humans, it is being found that areas of the orbitofrontal cortex are activated by pleasant touch, by painful touch, by taste, by smell, and by more abstract reinforcers such as winning or losing money. Damage to the orbitofrontal cortex can impair the learning and reversal of stimulus-reinforcement associations, and thus the correction of behavioural responses when there are no longer appropriate because previous reinforcement contingencies change. The information which reaches the orbitofrontal cortex for these functions includes information about faces, and damage to the orbitofrontal cortex can impair face (and voice) expression identification. This evidence thus shows that the orbitofrontal cortex is involved in decoding and representing some primary reinforcers such as taste and touch; in learning and reversing associations of visual and other stimuli to these primary reinforcers; and in controlling and correcting reward-related and punishment-related behavior, and thus in emotion. The approach described here is aimed at providing a fundamental understanding of how the orbitofrontal cortex actually functions, and thus in how it is involved in motivational behavior such as feeding and drinking, in emotional behavior, and in social behavior.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0278-2626(03)00277-x

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Authors
Rolls, E. T.
Affiliations
University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
Rolls, Edmund T.
Venue
Brain and Cognition
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2004-06
Volume
55
Issue
1
Pages
11-29
ISSN
0278-2626 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2176421987
Cited by
1,327
References
163
Citations by year
2026: 42 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 67 · 2023: 62 · 2022: 61 · 2021: 71 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 45 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 51 · 2016: 50 · 2015: 62 · 2014: 52 · 2013: 57 · 2012: 55
FWCI
5.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Brain and Cognition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
Keywords
orbitofrontal cortex, reward value, taste, olfaction, olfactory cortex, reversal learning, primary reinforcers, somatosensory input, food texture, face recognition, emotions, motivation, feeding behavior, social behavior
MeSH terms
Animals, Association Learning, Emotions, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Nerve Net, Neurophysiology, Neuropsychology, Reward, Smell, Taste, Vision, Ocular, Visual Perception, Prefrontal Cortex

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