Ventromedial prefrontal cortex

Ventromedial prefrontal cortex
Ventromedial prefrontal cortex shown on medial and ventral views of the brain, reflecting approximate location of damage in patients with decision making deficits.[1]
Medial surface of the brain with Brodmann's areas numbered.
Details
Identifiers
Latincortex praefrontalis ventromedialis
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is a part of the prefrontal cortex in the mammalian brain. The ventral medial prefrontal is located in the frontal lobe at the bottom of the cerebral hemispheres and is implicated in the processing of risk and fear, as it is critical in the regulation of amygdala activity in humans.[2] It also plays a role in the inhibition of emotional responses, and in the process of decision-making and self-control. It is also involved in the cognitive evaluation of morality.

  1. ^ Bechara A, Damasio H, Tranel D, Anderson SW (January 1998). "Dissociation Of working memory from decision making within the human prefrontal cortex". The Journal of Neuroscience. 18 (1): 428–37. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.18-01-00428.1998. PMC 6793407. PMID 9412519.
  2. ^ Motzkin JC, Philippi CL, Wolf RC, Baskaya MK, Koenigs M (February 2015). "Ventromedial prefrontal cortex is critical for the regulation of amygdala activity in humans". Biological Psychiatry. 77 (3): 276–284. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.02.014. PMC 4145052. PMID 24673881.