Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Published: Jul 10, 2023
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Updated: Jul 21, 2023
Written by Oseh Mathias
Founder, SpeechFit
The Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) is a distinct region of the brain located in the frontal lobe, forming a part of the brain's limbic system [1]. The ACC is involved in several complex cognitive functions, including decision-making, emotion, anticipation of reward, and empathy [2].
The ACC is divided into two primary functional components: the dorsal ACC (dACC) and the ventral ACC (vACC) [3]. The dACC is generally involved in cognitive processes such as decision making, error detection, and attention, whereas the vACC is more associated with emotional functions, including the processing of pain and empathy.
Here are some of the ACC's most well-studied functions:
Cognitive processing and executive control: The ACC is thought to contribute significantly to cognitive control, which includes functions such as error detection, conflict monitoring, and task switching[5]. Some theories propose that it helps in maintaining attentional focus on tasks by monitoring for conflict and signaling when increased cognitive control is needed[6].
Emotion processing: The ACC is involved in emotion processing, including the subjective experience of emotion, the regulation of emotional responses, and the use of emotional information in decision making[7]. Different parts of the ACC may be involved in different aspects of emotion processing. For example, the subgenual ACC has been implicated in the generation of affective responses, while the dorsal ACC may be more involved in cognitive aspects of emotion[8].
Pain perception: The ACC is activated during pain perception and has been implicated in the affective response to pain, that is, the unpleasantness associated with pain[9]. It seems to be involved in both the direct experience of pain and the empathy for the pain of others[10].
Social cognition: The ACC is thought to be involved in various aspects of social cognition, including empathy and the perception of others' emotions[11]. It's also implicated in understanding others' perspectives, also known as theory of mind[12].
Reward anticipation: The ACC is believed to play a role in the anticipation and evaluation of rewards. It may be involved in choosing actions based on predicted outcomes and adjusting behavior when those predictions are not met[13].
Oseh is a software engineer, entrepreneur and founder of SpeechFit. Oseh is passionate about improving health and wellbeing outcomes for neurodiverse people and healthcare providers alike.
References
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