The OFC is functionally related to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.[2] Therefore, the region is distinguished due to the distinct neural connections and the distinct functions it performs.[3] It is defined as the part of the prefrontal cortex that receives projections from the medial dorsal nucleus of the thalamus, and is thought to represent emotion, taste, smell and reward in decision making.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] It gets its name from its position immediately above the orbits in which the eyes are located. Considerable individual variability has been found in the OFC of humans.[12] A related area is found in rodents.[13]
^Kringelbach M. L. (2005). "The orbitofrontal cortex: linking reward to hedonic experience". Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 6 (9): 691–702. doi:10.1038/nrn1747. PMID16136173. S2CID205500365.
^Phillips, LH., MacPherson, SE. & Della Sala, S. (2002). 'Age, cognition and emotion: the role of anatomical segregation in the frontal lobes: the role of anatomical segregation in the frontal lobes'. in J Grafman (ed.), Handbook of Neuropsychology: the frontal lobes. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, pp. 73-98.
^Barbas H, Ghashghaei H, Rempel-Clower N, Xiao D (2002) Anatomic basis of functional specialization in prefrontal cortices in primates. In: Handbook of Neuropsychology (Grafman J, ed), pp 1-27. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science B.V.