Functional connectivity of the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and inferior frontal gyrus in humans

Parcellation of the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and inferior frontal gyrus based on their functional connectivity with the whole brain in resting state fMRI with 654 participants was performed to investigate how these regions with different functions in reward, emotion and their disorders are functionally connected to each other and to the whole brain. The human medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortex, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the right and left inferior frontal gyrus have different functional connectivity with other brain areas and with each other; and each of these regions has several parcels with different functional connectivity with other brain areas. In terms of functional connectivity, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex extends especially on the right into the orbital part of the inferior frontal gyrus and provides connectivity with premotor cortical areas. The orbitofrontal cortex, especially the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, has connectivity not only with language-related areas in the inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area), but also with the angular and supramarginal gyri. In this context, whereas the connectivity of the orbitofrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex is symmetrical, the connectivity of the inferior frontal gyrus triangular and opercular parts is asymmetrical for the right and the left hemispheres. These findings have implications for understanding the neural bases of human emotion and decision-making, and for their disorders including depression.