The lateral OFC mediates the influence of rewarding experiences on executive function [36] and appears to play a role in higher-level response to reward. Additionally, baseline function in the lateral OFC is associated with positive emotionality, an affective trait related to reward sensitivity and inversely associated with addiction [37]. Although models of OFC function have postulated that lateral OFC is specialized for processing loss rather than reward, a more recent conceptual stance is that lateral OFC also contributes to reward association learning by assigning credit to rewards and re-evaluating rewards [38]. Less response in this area could thus be interpreted as difficulty with updating the value of rewards, which could lead to reduced flexibility and greater compulsivity in responding.
