The Orbitofrontal Cortex - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198565747 ISBN 13: 9780198565741

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2006

Synopsis

The orbitofrontal cortex comprises the ventral surface of the frontal lobe, and is critical for functions ranging from olfaction and emotion to learning and behavioral flexibility. Since the time of Phineas Gage, this enigmatic brain region has intrigued clinicians due to its association with
personality. Recent research has started to unmask the specific operational principles of the area. Simultaneously, advances in the clinical neurosciences increasingly implicate the orbitofrontal cortex and adjacent ventral frontal regions in a variety of psychiatric and neurological conditions
including anxiety, mood and addictive disorders, as well as frontotemporal dementia. This volume provides the first comprehensive review of the orbitofrontal cortex, and should be a standard reference for established clinicians and researchers as well as trainees in neurology, neurosurgery,
psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience.

The book starts with a review of the structure of the ventral frontal lobes in human and nonhuman primates and the current state of knowledge regarding the region's neurocircuitry. This is followed by a series of chapters addressing the precise functions of the orbitofrontal cortex, with coverage
spanning animal and human research. The book continues with chapters detailing methodological issues in neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment of the region, and concludes with reviews of the area's contribution to psychiatric and neurological conditions. With chapters throughout by leading
experts, and a foreword from Marsel Mesulam, the volume provides both a basic foundation that will be useful to students, and critical reviews that capture the sophisticated nuances, controversies, and emerging concepts in the field.

About this title

About the Author

David H. Zald, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of psychology and a member of the Integrative Neuroscience program at Vanderbilt University. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Minnesota and completed neuropsychological training at the Ann Arbor Veterans
Affairs Medical Center/University of Michigan Hospital Program in Neuropsychology. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in functional neuroimaging at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Minnesota before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt. Dr. Zald's research focuses
on the neuropsychology of emotions, with a particular emphasis on the functions of the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex. Scott L Rauch received his undergraduate degree with honors in Neuroscience from Amherst College and attended medical school at the University of Cincinnati. He completed his
residency training in Psychiatry as well as a Radiology Research Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Currently, Dr. Rauch is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Associate Chief of Psychiatry for Neuroscience Research at MGH, where he also serves as
Director of the Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and the MGH Division of Psychiatric Neuroscience Research and Neurotherapeutics. Clinically, he provides consultation in cases of treatment-resistant obsessive compulsive disorders. Dr. Rauch has contributed over 250 publications to the
scientific literature and serves on the editorial boards of six journals. His principal scientific interests relate to neuroimaging and the neurobiology of anxiety disorders.

Review

"This is an excellent book on the orbitofrontal cortex and its importance in behavior and cognition. All neuroscientists could enhance their knowledge base by reading this enjoyable book. I highly recommend it."--Doody's

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0198565747
• ISBN 13: 9780198565741
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 672
• Editor: Zald David, Rauch Scott