Review of Orbitofrontal Cortex in Alcohol Dependence: A Disrupted Cognitive Map?

Overview

Journal Alcohol Clin Exp Res

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2020 Aug 28

PMID 32852095

Citations 10

Authors

Chloe N Shields

Christina M Gremel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Alcoholism is a persistent worldwide problem associated with long-lasting impairments to decision making processes. Some aspects of dysfunction are thought to reflect alcohol-induced changes to relevant brain areas such as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). In this review, we will examine how chronic alcohol exposure alters OFC function to potentially contribute to maladaptive decision making, and explore experimental behavioral approaches that may be better suited to test whether alcohol dependence disrupts OFC's function. We argue that although past works suggest impairments in aspects of OFC function, more information may be gained by specifically targeting tasks to the broader function of OFC as put forth by the recent hypothesis of OFC as a "cognitive map" of task space. Overall, we suggest that such a focus could provide a better understanding of how OFC function changes in alcohol dependence, and could inform better assessment tools and treatment options for clinicians working with this population.

Citing Articles

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