Which symptom is NOT typical of orbitofrontal cortex damage?

• A. Improved long-term planning
• B. Emotional lability
• C. Disinhibition
• D. Change in personality

Answer: (A)

Orbitofrontal cortex damage disrupts the way emotions and reward signals guide behavior, leading to problems with emotion regulation and social judgment. This often shows up as emotional lability (rapid mood changes), disinhibition (impaired social restraint), and noticeable changes in personality. The orbitofrontal area is key for evaluating rewards and punishments to guide choices in social contexts, so when it’s impaired, behavior becomes more impulsive and less regulated.

Long-term planning, on the other hand, relies more on other frontal circuits, especially areas involved in executive control and abstract planning. Damage to those regions tends to impair planning rather than improve it, so the idea of improved long-term planning is not typical of orbitofrontal injury.