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Primate anterior cingulate cortex: Where motor control, drive and cognition interface

Key Points

  • The anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC) has extensive connections with the motor cortex and spinal cord, connections that support the involvement of the ACC in motor control. Microstimulation of the ACC does indeed lead to body movements and to the utterance of vocalizations, whereas lesions of the ACC might lead to deficits in spontaneous initiation of movement and speech.

  • Reciprocal connections between the ACC and the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) support a role for the ACC in cognition. Indeed, different studies have supported this idea by revealing the existence of functional and effective connectivity between these two regions during the performance of cognitive tasks.

  • Different ideas have been put forward to explain the involvement of the PFC–ACC interaction in cognition. It has been argued that the PFC computes and maintains information necessary for the choice of an appropriate response, whereas the ACC facilitates implementation of the selected action. Alternatively, it has been proposed that the ACC might be involved in error detection or in conflict monitoring during the execution of a given task.

  • Extensive afferents to the ACC from the midline thalamic nuclei and from the brainstem indicate that arousal states can influence ACC activation. Furthermore, imaging studies have shown that ACC activation covaries with activation of midline thalamic nuclei. In addition, dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists affect ACC activation, highlighting the effect of neuromodulatory transmitter systems on ACC function.

  • The functional overlap of the motor, cognitive and arousal/drive domain might help to distinguish the function of the ACC from that of other cortical regions. In fact, this overlap places the ACC in a unique position to translate intentions to actions, participating in the willed control of behaviour.

Abstract

Controversy surrounds the function of the anterior cingulate cortex. Recent discussions about its role in behavioural control have centred on three main issues: its involvement in motor control, its proposed role in cognition and its relationship with the arousal/drive state of the organism. I argue that the overlap of these three domains is key to distinguishing the anterior cingulate cortex from other frontal regions, placing it in a unique position to translate intentions to actions.

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Figure 1: Cytoarchitectonic subdivisions of human and monkey cingulate cortex.
Figure 2: Response-related functional subdivisions of the anterior cingulate cortex in the human brain.
Figure 3: Single-case studies of behavioural deficits caused by discrete lesions of the right anterior cingulate cortex.

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Acknowledgements

I thank H. Barbas and M. Petrides for reviewing figure 1 , and B. Milner, J. Schall and K. Watkins for their comments on the manuscript. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation support the author's research.

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Limbic system

Positron emission tomography

Glossary

TEMPERAMENT AND CHARACTER INVENTORY

A self-report measure of seven basic dimensions of temperament (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence and persistence) and character (self-directedness, cooperativeness and self-transcendence).

STROOP TASK

In this task, the subject is asked to name the colour of ink in which a word is printed. The task is easy when the ink colour is congruent with the printed word (for example, 'red' printed in red ink). The task becomes difficult when the ink colour is incongruent with the printed word (for example, 'red' printed in green ink).

WILL

A purposeful control over actions.

CO-ACTIVATION

In an imaging experiment, the presence of significant blood-flow responses observed in two brain structures in the same subtraction.

GENU

The corpus callosum has four parts: rostrum, genu, body and splenium. The genu — the C-shaped segment of the corpus callosum — connects parts of the frontal lobe of both hemispheres.

EFFECTIVE CONNECTIVITY

A direct influence that one brain region exerts over another.

TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION

A technique used to stimulate relatively restricted areas of the human cerebral cortex. It is based on the generation of a strong magnetic field near the area of interest which, if changed rapidly enough, will induce an electric field sufficient to stimulate neurons.

THETA FREQUENCY

Rhythmic neural activity with a frequency of 4–8 Hz.

ALIEN-HAND SYNDROME

A neurological condition in which the patient denies ownership or is not always in control of his/her own hand.

SACCADE

A rapid eye movement that brings the point of maximal visual acuity — the fovea— to the image of interest.

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Paus, T. Primate anterior cingulate cortex: Where motor control, drive and cognition interface. Nat Rev Neurosci 2, 417–424 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35077500

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