Ventromedial prefrontal area 14 provides opposing regulation of threat and reward-elicited responses in the common marmoset

Significance Ventromedial prefrontal cortex is a large heterogenous region, which is dysfunctional in mood and anxiety disorders. Unfortunately, neuroimaging and focal lesion studies in humans have failed to resolve this heterogeneity, especially in relation to the symptom domains of enhanced negative emotion, blunted positive emotion, and autonomic dysfunction. We address this issue in marmoset monkeys, which have similar prefrontal organization to humans. By comparing inactivation and overactivation of area 14 within rostral ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) across threatening and rewarding contexts, we reveal how area 14 overactivation heightens responsivity to distal threat and blunts appetitive arousal. Its lack of effect on basal cardiovascular reactivity and expression and extinction of certain proximal threat highlight its distinct profile of effects within the vmPFC.