The effect of orbitofrontal lesions on the error-related negativity

Current theories of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) function suggest that this region should participate in the generation of error-related signals associated with the outcomes of actions. We investigated the impact of lesions to OFC on the error-related negativity (ERN), an electrophysiological marker of performance monitoring. Four OFC patients and eight control subjects participated in a manual Stroop task while brain electrical activity was recorded. We found that the ERN was attenuated in the patient group. Three of the patients also had impaired error correction performance, but all showed normal post-error slowing. These findings suggest OFC involvement in monitoring and evaluation of ongoing performance.