Cited by 594Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Orbitofrontal Cortex and Representation of Incentive Value in Associative Learning

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Gallagher, Michela, McMahan, Robert W., Schoenbaum, Geoffrey·1999·The Journal of Neuroscience

Abstract

Clinical evidence indicates that damage to ventromedial prefrontal cortex disrupts goal-directed actions that are guided by motivational and emotional factors. As a consequence, patients with such damage characteristically engage in maladaptive behaviors. Other research has shown that neurons in the corresponding orbital region of prefrontal cortex in laboratory animals encode information regarding the incentive properties of goals or expected events. The present study investigates the effect of neurotoxic orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) lesions in the rat on responses that are normally influenced by associations between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the incentive value of reinforcement. Rats were first trained to associate a visual CS with delivery of food pellets to a food cup. As a consequence of learning, rats approached the food cup during the CS in anticipation of reinforcement. In a second training phase, injection of LiCl followed consumption of the food unconditioned stimulus (US) in the home cage, a procedure used to alter the incentive value of the US. Subsequently, rats were returned to the conditioning chamber, and their responding to the CS in the absence of the food US was tested. Lesions of OFC did not affect either the initial acquisition of a conditioned response to the light CS in the first training phase or taste aversion learning in the second training phase. In the test for devaluation, however, OFC rats exhibited no change in conditioned responding to the visual CS. This outcome contrasts with the behavior of control rats; after devaluation of the US a significant decrease occurred in approach to the food cup during presentation of the CS. The results reveal an inability of a cue to access representational information about the incentive value of associated reinforcement after OFC damage.

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Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.19-15-06610.1999

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  • Animal studies show the importance of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in extinction of fear conditioning in animals with repeated exposure to empty threat.

    “These findings are consistent with animal studies showing the importance of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in extinction of fear conditioning in animals with repeated exposure to empty threat (Gallagher et al. 1999).”

    From <i>The Adolescent Brain</i> (2008) · cites this paper as Gallagher et al. 1999

    The Discussion (page unavailable) says OFC lesions are associated with impaired extinction when reinforcement no longer occurs. But this study tested rats’ responses to a food-associated cue after food devaluation, not extinction of fear conditioning through repeated exposure to a threat that proves harmless. The cited paper supports the general role of OFC in adapting conditioned responses, but not the specific fear-extinction claim. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The OFC plays a role in learning stimulus-reinforcement associations and conditioning.

    “The OFC plays a role in learning stimulus-reinforcement associations and conditioning (118,119), supports conditioned-cue-elicited feeding (120) and probably contributes to overeating irrespective of hunger signals (121).”

    From Obesity and addiction: Neurobiological overlaps (2013) · cites this paper as [119]

  • The OFC plays a role in learning stimulus-reinforcement associations and conditioning, supports conditioned-cue elicited feeding, and probably contributes to overeating irrespective of hunger signals.

    “The OFC plays a role in learning stimulus-reinforcement associations and conditioning (Cox et al 2005;Gallagher et al 1999), supports conditioned-cue elicited feeding (Weingarten 1983), and probably contributes to overeating irrespective of hunger signals (Ogden and Wardle 1990).”

    From Food and Drug Reward: Overlapping Circuits in Human Obesity and Addiction (2011) · cites this paper as Gallagher et al 1999

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Morell JR (1997) The hippocampus: S-R, S-S, and spatial learning. PhD dissertation (Duke University).

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Authors
Gallagher, M., McMahan, R. W., & Schoenbaum, G.
Affiliations
Johns Hopkins University (US)
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Published
1999-08-01
Volume
19
Issue
15
Pages
6610-6614
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W1762920573
Cited by
593
References
27
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 24
FWCI
7.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1k05mh001149-01a1, 5k08ag000882-02)
  • National Institute on Aging (Z01AG000882, K08-AG00882-01)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH053667, AG00882, K05MH01149)
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, incentive value, associative learning, currency devaluation, taste aversion, conditioned responding, approach behavior, lithium chloride, rats
MeSH terms
Animals, Association Learning, Avoidance Learning, Brain Mapping, Conditioning, Classical, Feeding Behavior, Frontal Lobe, Male, Orbit, Reinforcement, Psychology, Lithium Chloride, Rats, Long-Evans, Rats

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