The Influence of Individualized Sulcogyral Morphology on Face- and Food-Selective

Nodes in the Orbitofrontal Cortex: Towards an Anatomo-Functional Parcellation

Marisa Patti2, Carly Hyde2, Hyden Zhang3, Sara Deitrick1, Vanessa Troiani1
1. Geisinger Autism and Developmental Medicine Institute
2. Bucknell University
3. Department of Psychology, Temple University

Background

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has an important function in codifying individual social and motivational behaviors, although the morphology varies greatly amongst
individuals1.
OFC also has location-specific value signals (regions that respond maximally to certain types of rewards).
Atypical organization of the OFC architecture has been linked to psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, and more recently with quantitative traits that are
associated with subclinical manifestations of psychiatric illness 2.
Differences in sulcal patterns of healthy controls and schizophrenia patients indicate that the presence of abnormal patterns can be used as vulnerability markers
for future patients3.
This study localizes face-selective and food-selective value patches in OFC and identifies individual differences in their location. We also characterize subjects OFC
sulcogyral pattern types, in order to determine if a pattern exists between variation in OFC sulci and OFC peak signal location for faces and food.
We predict that individuals with similar pattern types within a hemisphere will have greater spatial consistency in the location of their face- and food-selective OFC
nodes.

Results: Individual Sulcal Patterns & Value

Signals
Figure 5. Individual sulcal patterns with overlaid value signals
for face and food selective patches
R

Type I
sulcal
pattern
bilaterally

Type II
sulcal
pattern
bilaterally

Methods

Participants

Figure 1. Task Schematic

Figure 2. OFC Anatomy

31 healthy adults (mean age = 21 years; 14 female).

3T Siemens MRI

Type I sulcal
pattern on the
right, Type III
sulcal pattern
on the left
hemisphere

Method 1: Functional MRI

In a block design, subjects viewed pictures of faces, food, clocks, and common places
Function was determined using BOLD fMRI study
Data was used to localize the OFC peak signal locations for faces and food

Method 2: Structural MRI

OFC structure traced using ITK SNAP
Brains were traced to identify the MOS, LOS, TOS, IOS, and ACPC Plane
OFC sulci patterns were classified based on the continuity of the MOS and LOS
Type I: Discontinuous MOS and continuous LOS
Type II: Continuous MOS and LOS
Type III: Discontinuous MOS and LOS
Brains traced by MP for this poster.
Will be traced by multiple reviewers to ensure concordant characterization

Exploratory individual subject analysis to visualize relationship

between value patches and sulcal pattern type.

Kringelbach, M. L. (2005)

Results: Structural and Functional Group Level Analysis

Figure 3. Group Results for Faces and Food

Face-selective
peaks were located more medially while food selective peaks
L
R
were located more laterally within the OFC.
Type I

Type II

Type III

Medial Orbital Sulcus

Intermediate Orbital Sulcus

Right Hemisphere

19

Lateral Orbital Sulcus

Transverse Orbital Sulcus
OFC Face Selective Patches

Left Hemisphere

17

Total

36

10

10

Type I is the most common.

Conclusions & Future Directions

Face selective patches are more medially located than food selective
patches which are located more laterally. A type I sulcal pattern was also
found to be more common compared to type II and type III.
Tracing is ongoing with multiple tracers. Future analyses will assess
whether sulcal pattern type impacts the spatial location of value signals.
Develop soft wear to trace OFC sulci for more consistent pattern
classification.
Future studies will attempt to identify the developmental trajectory and
stability of value patches in OFC. This characterization will bring us
closer to understanding the anatomo-functional parcellation of OFC
and its impact on neurodevelopmental disorders and psychiatric
conditions.

Figure 4. OFC Sulcal Patterns and Frequencies

L

OFC Food Selective Patches

Possible patterns may show brains with a Type I sulcal pattern to have
less value signals than other types
Brains with a Type I pattern on the right hemisphere may show
protective qualities over less common types in the left hemisphere
Specific value signals may correlate to particular locations on OFC sulci

Acknowledgements
Our group would like to thank Geisingers Summer Autism and Developmental Medicine Institutes summer
internship program, SANDI, as well as Abby Hare and Margaret King for their help and support with the SANDI
program. We would also like to thank the Education Department at Bucknell University for funding summer
internships for MP & CH. This study was also funded by Geisinger start-up funds awarded to Vanessa Troiani.
Finally, we would like to thank our participants for their time and interest in the study.

Citations

Kringelbach, M. L. (2005). The human orbitofrontal cortex: linking reward to hedonic experience. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6(9), 691-702.
Takayanagi, Y., Takahashi, T., Orikabe, L., Masuda, N., Mozue, Y., Nakamura, K., Kawasaki, Y., Itokawa, M., Sato, Y., Yamasue, H., Kasai, K., Okazaki, Y., Suzuki, M., 2010. Volume reduction
and altered sulco-gyral pattern of the orbitofrontal cortex in first-episode schizophrenia. Schizophr. Res. 121 (13), 5565.
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Chakirova, G., Welch, K.A., Moorhead, T.W., Stanfield, A.C., Hall, J., Skehel, P., Brown, V.J., Johnstone, E.C., Owens, D.G., Lawrie, S.M., McIntosh, A.M., 2010. Orbitofrontal morphology in
people at high risk of developing schizophrenia. Eur. Psychiatry 25 (6), 366372.
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