Neuropsychology of Emotional Disturbance-Additional Info from Dr. Leonard-Zabel (Winter, 2015)
Orbito-frontal Cortex (OFC)
. Area of the Prefrontal Cortex that is sometimes called the pararlimbic and it is closely connected to the limbic system
.Is highly involved in regulation of mood and behavior especially regulating impulses.
.Plays a vital role in personality involving patterns of behavior and cognition.
.OFC can control a person’s mood, expressed emotion, and/or self-control. This is what we, as Psychologists, evaluate to diagnosis Psychopathology.
.When the OFC is damaged or over/under functioning, behavior and personality problems appears such as difficulty suppressing urges or impulses, controlling obsessive thoughts, and diminishing negative moods.
.Hypoactivity in the OFC has been linked to secondary depression, but the types of mood problems that are typically related to damage in the OFC more often includes mood fluctuations, poor impulse control, and inappropriate behavior or social judgment.
The Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex (VPC)
The Prefrontal cortex is divided into several regions such as the Ventrolateral, Dorsolateral, Orbito-frontal and Ventromedial.
.Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex (VPC) mediates responses to negative emotions.For example, Anxiety appears to activate the right Ventrolateral area which enhances the vigilance of individuals to anticipate hazards. The left Ventrolateral area enables individuals to maintain their focus on specific and consequential problems, therefore minimizing distractions.
. This area enables individual to resolve negative feelings that social exclusion can elicit, meaning in many settings, individuals might feel reelected or excluded. However, thisregionworks with the inhibition of socialpain (to control social pain). Activitation of the Ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, when working well, seems to resolve the unpleasant feelsthat such rejection or exclusion can occur (e.g., not being invited to an event or party).Overall, the VPC is responsible for inhibition and emotional regulation.
Anterior Cingular Cortex (ACC)
.Linked to cognitive flexibility. When one way of thinking and behaving is not working well, the ACC plays a role in finding a new direction to pursue.
.When the ACC is working well, an individual can initiate behavioral qualities of cooperation and adaptability, both of which are important aspects to negotiation and conflict resolution.
**Facets of Theory of Mind: (Two historical articles may be helpful)**
There are many facets of brain systems involved in Theory of Mind.
One important piece for individuals to be active in perspective taking involves the Orbito-frontal area.
An article by Catherine A Hynes, Abigail A Baird, and Scott T. Grafton called “Differentialrole of the Orbito-frontal Lobe in Emotional verses Cognitive Perspective-Taking” (2006) from Neuropsychologia, Vol., 44(3): 374-383 speaks to emotional vs. cognitive perspective taking.
The articles points to lesions on the Orbito-frontal lobe, particularly its medial sectors, which is known to cause deficits in empathic ability. Results from their research demonstrated the medial Orbito-frontal lobe, defined as Broadmann’s area 11 and 25, was involved in emotional as compared to cognitive perspective-taking.
. Another article by Mark A. Sabbough titled “Understanding Orbito-frontal Contributions to Theory-of-Mind Reasoning: Implications for Autism“(June 2004), from Brain and Cognition (2004), Vol., 55 (1): 209-219reported the ability to decode others’ mental states from observable cues (such as facial expressions) may rely on contributions from the Orbito-frontal/medial temporal circuit within the right hemisphere. In contrast, the ability to reason about others’ mental states may involve the left medial frontal regions. As such, the researcher concluded that the developmental roots of Autism might lie in abnormal functioning of the Orbito-frontal/medial temporal circuit which may, in turn, underlie the abnormal development of social-cognitive skills among individuals with Autism.
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