The DOI matches its Crossref record; 147 of the 147 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
What the orbitofrontal cortex does not do
Open accessAbstract
The number of papers about the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has grown from 1 per month in 1987 to a current rate of over 50 per month. This publication stream has implicated the OFC in nearly every function known to cognitive neuroscience and in most neuropsychiatric diseases. However, new ideas about OFC function are typically based on limited data sets and often ignore or minimize competing ideas or contradictory findings. Yet true progress in our understanding of an area's function comes as much from invalidating existing ideas as proposing new ones. Here we consider the proposed roles for OFC, critically examining the level of support for these claims and highlighting the data that call them into question.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“However, the importance of the OFC has been challenged in this and other work (Berridge and Kringelbach, 2008; Stalnaker et al., 2015).”
From Circuit Mechanisms of Reward, Anhedonia, and Depression (2019) · cites this paper as Stalnaker et al., 2015
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
A neural substrate of prediction and reward
Schultz, W., Dayan, P., & Montague, P. R. (1997) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.275.5306.1593 · Cited by 9,388
Learning to predict by the methods of temporal differences
Sutton, R. S. (1988) · Machine Learning · doi:10.1007/bf00115009 · Cited by 5,148
Classical conditioning II: Current research and theory.
Black, A. H., & Prokasy, W. F. (1972) · Appleton-Century-Crofts eBooks · Cited by 4,449
Deciding advantageously before knowing the advantageous strategy
Bechara, A., Damasio, H., Tranel, D., & Damasio, A. R. (1997) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.275.5304.1293 · Cited by 3,547
Pearce, J. M., & Hall, G. (1980) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.87.6.532 · Cited by 3,023
The Logic of Scientific Discovery
Popper, K. R., & Weiss, G. (1959) · Physics Today · doi:10.1063/1.3060577 · Cited by 2,717
Ongur, D. (2000) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/10.3.206 · Cited by 2,627
Daw, N. D., Niv, Y., & Dayan, P. (2005) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1560 · Cited by 2,533
Inhibition and the right inferior frontal cortex: one decade on
Aron, A. R., Robbins, T. W., & Poldrack, R. A. (2014) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2013.12.003 · Cited by 2,166
Different contributions of the human amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex to decision-making
Bechara, A., Damasio, H., Damasio, A. R., & Lee, G. P. (1999) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.19-13-05473.1999 · Cited by 2,001
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 5
- Harlow, J.M. Recovery after passage of an iron bar through the head. Pub. Mass. Med. Soc. 2, 329–346 (1868).
- Izquierdo, A.D. & Murray, E.A. Bilateral orbital prefrontal cortex lesions disrupt reinforcer devaluation effects in rhesus monkeys. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 26, 978 (2000).
- von Neumann, J. & Morgenstern, O. Theory of Games and Economic Behavior (Princeton University Press, 1947).
- Sutton, R.S. Learning to predict by the method of temporal difference. Mach. Learn. 3, 9–44 (1988).
- Schoenbaum, G., Setlow, B. & Gallagher, M. Orbitofrontal cortex: modeling prefrontal function in rats. in The Neuropsychology of Memory (eds. L. Squire & D. Schacter) 463–477 (Guilford Press, 2002).
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 501–531 of 531
Neural mechanisms of credit assignment for delayed outcomes during contingent learningPreprint
Witkowski, P. P., Rondot, L., Kurth-Nelson, Z. L., Garvert, M. M., Dolan, R. J., Behrens, T. E. J., & Boorman, E. D. (2024) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.101841.1
Anisman, H., Hayley, S. P., & Kusnecov, A. W. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-23565-8.00006-5
(2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-23565-8.09996-8
Readiness potential in human functional magnetic resonance imaging motor task dataPreprint
Strindberg, M., Tian, Y., & Fransson, P. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2025.01.31.635910
Neural decoding of Aristotle tactile illusion using deep learning-based fMRI classification
Lee, E., Kim, J.-H., Park, J., Kim, S.-P., & Shin, T. (2025) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2025.1606801
Involvement of a stress-responsive orbito-striatal projection in impulsive action in male rats
Girotti, M., Boehmer-Cortez, M. G., Tuite, K., & Morilak, D. A. (2025) · The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1093/ijnp/pyaf043
The Neuroscience of Choice: How Our Brain Processes Decisions
McCormick, M. (2025) · Integrated science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-88415-3_4
Kognitive und neuronale Grundlagen von Motivation, Belohnung und Selbstkontrolle
Goschke, T. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-69368-1_10
Submedius Thalamus Modulates Orbitofrontal Cortex Representations During Maternal Behavior in MicePreprint
Tasaka, G., Hagihara, M., Kobayashi, H., Kihara, M., Abe, T., & Miyamichi, K. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2025.09.18.677207
Two time scales of adaptation in human learning ratesPreprint
Simoens, J., Braem, S., Verbeke, P., Chen, H., Mattioni, S., Chai, M., Schuck, N. W., & Verguts, T. (2025) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.108223
Order-Selective Cells Tile Temporal Space and Predict Order Memory in HumansPreprint
Zheng, J., Pavarino, E. C., Skelin, I., Yebra, M., Schwencke, J., Zhu, W., Reed, C. M., Kalia, S. K., Valiante, T. A., Ojemann, S. G., et al. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2025.10.24.683575
Mochizuki, Y., Aggarwal, M., Harasawa, N., & Chen, C. (2025) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-26629-4.00124-6
Gong, Y., Guo, S.-S., Chen, X., Zhang, Z., Song, X.-L., Jiang, Q., Li, Y., Wu, D., Zhang, T., Zhao, X., et al. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2025.12.16.694530
Submedius thalamic inputs shape the presynaptic architecture of layer 5 orbitofrontal cortex in mice
Tasaka, G., Hagihara, M., Kobayashi, H., Kihara, M., Abe, T., & Miyamichi, K. (2026) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2026.114828
Filley, C. M., Churchland, P. S., & Kletenik, I. (2026) · doi:10.64628/aai.6rva3gpgd
Zhu, Z., Zhang, B., Zhang, X., & Naya, Y. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.03.01.708836
Bation, R. (2018) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/3c89240bzc242z45f4z9247z73969c8af558 · Cited by 1
A closed loop framework of decision-making and learning in primate prefrontal circuits.
Nallapu, B. T. (2019) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/ec68f782z2b3ez44f3zb24fzeafa25ff668c · Cited by 1
Sound propagation and quantum-limited damping in an ultracold two-dimensional Fermi gas
Bohlen, M. (2020) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/28e5341dzd84cz41fezb48bz2ea33c27b403
Kouskoff, V. (2021) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/a8f4e479z2341z4f88zaf5bz91e7451d469d
A Neurocomputational Model of Observation-Based Decision Making with a Focus on Trust
Nazir, A. H., Kotaleski, J. H., & Liljenström, H. (2026) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci16050477 · Cited by 2
Yang, Y.-H., Chen, C.-Y., Chen, S., Yang, L.-X., & Liao, R. (2026) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116446
Zhou, Y.-N., Ni, S., Han, J., Yuan, B., Luo, X., Li, H., Yan, N., Wang, L., Zhang, W., Zeng, L., et al. (2026) · CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics · doi:10.1002/cns.71023
Takaaki, Y. (n.d.) · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB)
Cisler, J. M., Jaeb, M. A., Malloy, L. T., Broski, P., Dunsmoor, J. E., & Stowe, Z. N. (2026) · Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2026.07.010
Yount, S. T., Towner, T. T., & Gourley, S. L. (2026) · Neurobiology of Disease · doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2026.107561
Orbitofrontal cortex contributes to context-dependent timing under ambiguity
Marmur, G., Rajabi, H., Schwarcz, J., Reiner, R., Kadmon, J., & Lottem, E. (2026) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2026.117110
Yang, Z., Chen, X., Sun, X., & Lei, H. (2026) · Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fncel.2026.1850197
Metadata
- Authors
- Stalnaker, T. A., Cooch, N. K., & Schoenbaum, G.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Schoenbaum, Geoffrey
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2015-04-28
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 620-627
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- PMC
- PMC5541252
- OpenAlex
- W2020689320
- Cited by
- 531
- References
- 147
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 77 · 2019: 55 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 50 · 2015: 16
- FWCI
- 5.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- National Institutes of Health (Z99 DA999999)
- National Institute on Aging
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (ZIADA000587)
- 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 › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- orbitofrontal cortex, neuropsychiatric disorders, cognitive neuroscience
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain Mapping, Decision Making, Emotions, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Judgment, Learning, Models, Neurological, Models, Psychological, Primates, Reward, Prefrontal Cortex, Rats
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review