Skip to content
Get in touch

Research › Other research

Emotion, Decision Making and the Orbitofrontal Cortex

Share

Suggested message

Check out this Knowledge Base article from StressTherapy Solutions: Emotion, Decision Making and the Orbitofrontal Cortex.

Facebook LinkedIn Email

Facebook doesn't let websites fill in your post. Use Copy message, then paste it in.

Study at a glance

Area
Other research
Study type
Review & meta-analysis
Authors
Bechara A
Journal
Cerebral Cortex
Year
2000
Protocol
narrative review

Key findings

  • Reviewed studies confirm several predictions of the somatic marker hypothesis
  • The orbitofrontal cortex is a critical, but not the only, structure for decision making
  • Decision making arises from large-scale systems including the amygdala, somatosensory/insular cortices and peripheral nervous system
  • Emotion-related signals can influence choices at both conscious and non-conscious levels

DOI 10.1093/cercor/10.3.295 → PubMed 10731224 →

A review of the somatic marker hypothesis, which proposes that decisions are shaped by signals from the body's regulatory processes, including those felt as emotions, acting both consciously and outside awareness. The author reviews studies testing its predictions, concentrating on the orbitofrontal cortex as one key part of a wider decision-making system that also includes the amygdala, somatosensory and insular cortices and the peripheral nervous system. The review also considers how emotion and decision making relate to working memory.