Ventromedial prefrontal cortex
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is a part of the prefrontal cortex and is implicated in the processing of risk and fear, as it is critical in the regulation of amygdala activity. 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.
Patients with lesions in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex are impulsive, fail to foresee consequences and are emotionally disengaged from others; in particular the right ventromedial frontal cortex, which has rich interconnections with limbic system, is critical to every aspect of moral and social behavior. Moral judgment involves a complex right hemisphere network, particularly the right ventromedial and orbitofrontal cortex, as well as the amygdala in both hemispheres. Damage in the right prefrontal cortex may lead to frank psychopathic behavior.
References
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventromedial_prefrontal_cortex
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Mcgilchrist, Iain. (2010). The Master and His Emissary Chapter 2 What Do the Hemispheres Do (p. 173). London, UK: Yale University Press.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Anatomy / Neuroanatomy Status:☀️