The Ever-Changing OFC Landscape: What Neural Signals in OFC Can Tell Us About Inhibitory Control

Despite decades of research on OFC function, the exact function(s) of OFC remain elusive. In recent years, 1 of the earliest hypotheses about OFC function, namely its involvement in inhibitory control, has drifted to the periphery of the functional OFC landscape in favor of theories suggesting a role for OFC in the representation of task or state space. The reasons for this drift are valid, owing in part to the development of more sensitive behavioral approaches, a clear emphasis on cross-species and cross-method comparisons, as well as the elegant integration of reinforcement learning theories. However, recent evidence recording from OFC during the performance of traditional inhibitory control tasks has found new evidence supporting a role for OFC in inhibitory control. While the extent to which these findings can be integrated into existing frameworks is in its infancy, this review seeks to highlight these findings with the goal of providing new insights into function of OFC.

Automated summary

Despite decades of research on OFC function, the exact role of OFC remains unclear. While earlier hypotheses suggested its involvement in inhibitory control, recent studies have proposed a role for OFC in the representation of task or state space. New evidence also supports a role for OFC in inhibitory control tasks, but further research is needed to integrate these findings into existing frameworks.