THE ORBITOFRONTAL CORTEX

Edited by David H. Zald, Ph.D. and Scott L. Rauch, M.D.

 

 

Authors and reviewers: In order to view chapters please click the link below. You will need the user name and password that has been previously sent to you in order to access the index and chapter drafts.

 

http://www.psy.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/zalddh/OFC/chapters/index.htm

 

Description:  Although many textbooks continue to refer to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as enigmatic, our understanding of this region has increased dramatically in recent years.  At present there are no books available that specifically focus on this region of the brain.  Books on the prefrontal cortex (e.g. Levin et al, Frontal Lobe Function and Dysfunction. Oxford University Press, 1991; Stuss and Knight, Principles of Frontal Lobe Function. Oxford University Press, 2002) often touch on the functions of the OFC, but this is always in a restricted form that dedicates at best one or two chapters to the topic. This has occurred despite an enormous increase in interest in the OFC over the last decade.  In 1996, one of the proposed editors (DHZ) published a pair of reviews in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience on the anatomy and function of the OFC.  At the time, he was able to include reference to probably 90% or more of the relevant citations in the field, and cover the bulk of what was known about the OFC at that point in time.  Since then there has been an explosion of research on this region, with dramatic increases in knowledge regarding its structure, neurocircuitry, functional contributions to sensation, emotion, social processing, learning and memory.  Additionally, the OFC's involvement in neuropsychiatric disorders and even personality has become increasingly apparent.  Because of this dramatic increase in knowledge, a comprehensive exploration of the OFC can no longer be dealt with in a chapter or two, but instead requires a full volume.

 

At present, no books or volumes have attempted to pull these different research bodies together, making it difficult for nonexperts to get a comprehensive picture of the current state of knowledge.  We have assembled contributions from the leading experts in the field in order to create a book that will set the standard for the study of the OFC.

We believe that the volume is likely to be of interest to psychiatrists, neurologists, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, psychologists, and basic neuroscience researchers alike. Furthermore, we hope that by bringing together experts on various aspects of the OFC, we can create a synergy that will help the field progress far beyond its current state.

 

Project Details

Size:  The aim is to produce a handbook of approximately 650 pages, with 26 chapters, and with the average chapter occupying 20 –30 pages in length (approximately 11,000-16,000 words).   The book will be divided into 3 sections:  1) Anatomy, 2) Functions, and 3) Neuopsychiatric issues.

 

 

 

Proposed Timeline: 

All author commitments to be obtained by January 2004

Initial chapter submissions due November 1 2004.

Review process completed by April 1 2005

(All chapters to be reviewed by either D.H. Zald or S.L. Rauch, and one other chapter contributor).

Revised chapters due by October, 2005

Submission of final chapters for copy-editing October 31, 2005.

 

References will utilize the Harvard system:

In text citations appear in parentheses

Single author= (Jones 1999), 2 authors = (Jones and Brown 1999), 3 or more authors = (Jones et al. 1999)

 

Reference List should be in alphabetical order.

 

Journal article example:

Harlow H and Gage PH (1999). Groovy games for pseudopsychopaths. Journal of Disinhibited Games, 20, 263-275.

(for papers with 6 or fewer authors, list all authors with the word “and” before the last author: for papers with greater than 6 authors, list first 3 followed by et al.)

 

Book Chapter example:

Jolly A (1999). Lemur survival. In K Benirschke, ed. Primates: the road to self-sustaining populations, pp. 78-98. Springer-Verlag, New York.

 

 

Contact Information:

 

David H. Zald, Ph.D.                                                Scott L. Rauch, MD

Department of Psychology                                      Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology

325 Wilson Hall                                                         CNY-9130

111 21st Ave. South                                                   Massachusetts General Hospital-East

Vanderbilt University                                               149 Thirteenth Street

Nashville, TN 37203   USA                                    Charlestown, MA 02129 USA

Tel: 615-343-6076                                                    Tel: 617-724-9553

Fax: 615-343-8449                                                    FAX: 617-726-4078

Email: david.zald@vanderbilt.edu                      rauch@psych.mgh.harvard.edu