Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and amygdala may mediate the ability to engage in flexible behaviour as the environment changes.  Typically flexible behaviour is assessed by using a reversal learning task that requires adopting a win-stay/lose-shift strategy for optimal performance.  In a recent study published in Neuron, Dr Bolton Chau, Professor Matthew Rushworth and colleagues identified a lateral OFC region that carried an adaptive win-stay/lose-shift signal (left).  In contrast, amygdala encoded a previous reward signal even though that information was irrelevant to the performance of the task (right). These data demonstrate that OFC and amygdala each make unique contributions to flexible behaviour and learning.