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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala contributions to affect and action in primates.

Elisabeth A Murray¹, Alicia Izquierdo

¹Section on the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory,Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4415, USA. murraye@mail.nih.gov

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

|September 12, 2007

Summary

The amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) show distinct roles in processing emotions and rewards. Their direct interaction is crucial for some, but not all, stimulus-reward associations in goal-directed behavior.

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Ex Vivo Optogenetic Dissection of Fear Circuits in Brain Slices

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Last Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

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Published on: September 28, 2018

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis

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Ex Vivo Optogenetic Dissection of Fear Circuits in Brain Slices

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Primate Behavior

Background:

The amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are key brain regions involved in goal-directed behavior.
Understanding their distinct and overlapping functions in emotion and reward processing is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the contributions of the amygdala and OFC to emotion and reward processing in macaque monkeys.
To examine the necessity of direct functional interaction between these regions for stimulus-reward associations.

Main Methods:

Review of recent methodological and conceptual advances in primate research.
Analysis of the roles of the amygdala and OFC in defensive responses and reward processing.

Main Results:

Direct functional interaction between the amygdala and OFC is not universally required for all stimulus-reward associations.
Both regions contribute to defensive responses to predators.
The amygdala and OFC make distinct, rather than solely overlapping, contributions to emotional and reward processing.

Conclusions:

The amygdala and OFC have differentiated roles in emotion and reward processing.
The prevailing view of their interaction needs refinement based on distinct functional contributions.