RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Comparison of the Effects of Bilateral Orbital Prefrontal Cortex Lesions and Amygdala Lesions on Emotional Responses in Rhesus Monkeys
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 8534
OP 8542
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1232-05.2005
VO 25
IS 37
A1 Alicia Izquierdo
A1 Robin K. Suda
A1 Elisabeth A. Murray
YR 2005
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/25/37/8534.abstract
AB The present study examines the effects of bilateral orbital prefrontal cortex (PFo) lesions on monkeys' emotional responses in two different contexts: in the presence of a rubber snake and in the presence of a human intruder. For comparison, we also assessed the responses of rhesus monkeys with selective amygdala lesions on these same tasks. Monkeys with PFo lesions, like those with amygdala lesions, displayed blunted emotional responses to the fake snake. Unlike monkeys with amygdala lesions, however, monkeys with PFo lesions displayed more mild aggression than controls in the presence of a human intruder. The findings support the idea that the PFo helps integrate sensory signals in the service of choosing among competing responses. In addition, they point to a divergence of the roles of the PFo and amygdala in responding to a social stimulus, the human intruder.