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Brain Structure & Function Dec 2019Evidence is provided for a new conceptualization of the connectivity and functions of the cingulate cortex in emotion, action, and memory. The anterior cingulate cortex... (Review)
Review
Evidence is provided for a new conceptualization of the connectivity and functions of the cingulate cortex in emotion, action, and memory. The anterior cingulate cortex receives information from the orbitofrontal cortex about reward and non-reward outcomes. The posterior cingulate cortex receives spatial and action-related information from parietal cortical areas. It is argued that these inputs allow the cingulate cortex to perform action-outcome learning, with outputs from the midcingulate motor area to premotor areas. In addition, because the anterior cingulate cortex connects rewards to actions, it is involved in emotion; and because the posterior cingulate cortex has outputs to the hippocampal system, it is involved in memory. These apparently multiple different functions of the cingulate cortex are related to the place of this proisocortical limbic region in brain connectivity.
Topics: Animals; Emotions; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Limbic System; Memory; Motor Activity; Neural Pathways; Reward
PubMed: 31451898
DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01945-2 -
Brain : a Journal of Neurology Jan 2014The posterior cingulate cortex is a highly connected and metabolically active brain region. Recent studies suggest it has an important cognitive role, although there is... (Review)
Review
The posterior cingulate cortex is a highly connected and metabolically active brain region. Recent studies suggest it has an important cognitive role, although there is no consensus about what this is. The region is typically discussed as having a unitary function because of a common pattern of relative deactivation observed during attentionally demanding tasks. One influential hypothesis is that the posterior cingulate cortex has a central role in supporting internally-directed cognition. It is a key node in the default mode network and shows increased activity when individuals retrieve autobiographical memories or plan for the future, as well as during unconstrained 'rest' when activity in the brain is 'free-wheeling'. However, other evidence suggests that the region is highly heterogeneous and may play a direct role in regulating the focus of attention. In addition, its activity varies with arousal state and its interactions with other brain networks may be important for conscious awareness. Understanding posterior cingulate cortex function is likely to be of clinical importance. It is well protected against ischaemic stroke, and so there is relatively little neuropsychological data about the consequences of focal lesions. However, in other conditions abnormalities in the region are clearly linked to disease. For example, amyloid deposition and reduced metabolism is seen early in Alzheimer's disease. Functional neuroimaging studies show abnormalities in a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, autism, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as ageing. Our own work has consistently shown abnormal posterior cingulate cortex function following traumatic brain injury, which predicts attentional impairments. Here we review the anatomy and physiology of the region and how it is affected in a range of clinical conditions, before discussing its proposed functions. We synthesize key findings into a novel model of the region's function (the 'Arousal, Balance and Breadth of Attention' model). Dorsal and ventral subcomponents are functionally separated and differences in regional activity are explained by considering: (i) arousal state; (ii) whether attention is focused internally or externally; and (iii) the breadth of attentional focus. The predictions of the model can be tested within the framework of complex dynamic systems theory, and we propose that the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex influences attentional focus by 'tuning' whole-brain metastability and so adjusts how stable brain network activity is over time.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Autistic Disorder; Brain Injuries; Cognition; Depression; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Nerve Net; Nervous System Diseases; Neural Pathways; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Primates; Schizophrenia
PubMed: 23869106
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awt162 -
Brain Structure & Function Jun 2023The orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala are involved in emotion and in motivation, but the relationship between these functions performed by these brain structures is not... (Review)
Review
The orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala are involved in emotion and in motivation, but the relationship between these functions performed by these brain structures is not clear. To address this, a unified theory of emotion and motivation is described in which motivational states are states in which instrumental goal-directed actions are performed to obtain rewards or avoid punishers, and emotional states are states that are elicited when the reward or punisher is or is not received. This greatly simplifies our understanding of emotion and motivation, for the same set of genes and associated brain systems can define the primary or unlearned rewards and punishers such as sweet taste or pain. Recent evidence on the connectivity of human brain systems involved in emotion and motivation indicates that the orbitofrontal cortex is involved in reward value and experienced emotion with outputs to cortical regions including those involved in language, and is a key brain region involved in depression and the associated changes in motivation. The amygdala has weak effective connectivity back to the cortex in humans, and is implicated in brainstem-mediated responses to stimuli such as freezing and autonomic activity, rather than in declarative emotion. The anterior cingulate cortex is involved in learning actions to obtain rewards, and with the orbitofrontal cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex in providing the goals for navigation and in reward-related effects on memory consolidation mediated partly via the cholinergic system.
Topics: Humans; Gyrus Cinguli; Motivation; Emotions; Amygdala; Prefrontal Cortex; Reward
PubMed: 37178232
DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02644-9 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Apr 2022This review synthesizes relations between mindfulness and resting-state fMRI functional connectivity of brain networks. Mindfulness is characterized by present-moment... (Review)
Review
This review synthesizes relations between mindfulness and resting-state fMRI functional connectivity of brain networks. Mindfulness is characterized by present-moment awareness and experiential acceptance, and relies on attention control, self-awareness, and emotion regulation. We integrate studies of functional connectivity and (1) trait mindfulness and (2) mindfulness meditation interventions. Mindfulness is related to functional connectivity in the default mode (DMN), frontoparietal (FPN), and salience (SN) networks. Specifically, mindfulness-mediated functional connectivity changes include (1) increased connectivity between posterior cingulate cortex (DMN) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (FPN), which may relate to attention control; (2) decreased connectivity between cuneus and SN, which may relate to self-awareness; (3) increased connectivity between rostral anterior cingulate cortex region and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMN) and decreased connectivity between rostral anterior cingulate cortex region and amygdala region, both of which may relate to emotion regulation; and lastly, (4) increased connectivity between dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (SN) and anterior insula (SN) which may relate to pain relief. While further study of mindfulness is needed, neural signatures of mindfulness are emerging.
Topics: Brain; Brain Mapping; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mindfulness; Prefrontal Cortex
PubMed: 35202647
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104583 -
ELife Jun 2021Consolation is a common response to the distress of others in humans and some social animals, but the neural mechanisms underlying this behavior are not well...
Consolation is a common response to the distress of others in humans and some social animals, but the neural mechanisms underlying this behavior are not well characterized. By using socially monogamous mandarin voles, we found that optogenetic or chemogenetic inhibition of 5-HTergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) or optogenetic inhibition of serotonin (5-HT) terminals in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) significantly decreased allogrooming time in the consolation test and reduced sociability in the three-chamber test. The release of 5-HT within the ACC and the activity of DR neurons were significantly increased during allogrooming, sniffing, and social approaching. Finally, we found that the activation of 5-HT1A receptors in the ACC was sufficient to reverse consolation and sociability deficits induced by the chemogenetic inhibition of 5-HTergic neurons in the DR. Our study provided the first direct evidence that DR-ACC 5-HTergic neural circuit is implicated in consolation-like behaviors and sociability.
Topics: Animals; Arvicolinae; Behavior, Animal; Dorsal Raphe Nucleus; Female; Grooming; Gyrus Cinguli; Male; Motor Activity; Neural Pathways; Optogenetics; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A; Serotonergic Neurons; Serotonin; Social Behavior; Time Factors
PubMed: 34080539
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.67638 -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Jul 2019Contextual fear memory becomes less context-specific over time, a phenomenon referred to as contextual fear generalization. Overgeneralization of contextual fear memory...
Contextual fear memory becomes less context-specific over time, a phenomenon referred to as contextual fear generalization. Overgeneralization of contextual fear memory is a core symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but circuit mechanisms underlying the generalization remain unclear. We show here that neural projections from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to ventral hippocampus (vHPC) mediate contextual fear generalization in male mice. Retrieval of contextual fear in a novel context at a remote time point activated cells in the ACC and vHPC, as indicated by significantly increased C-fos cells. Using chemogenetic or photogenetic manipulations, we observed that silencing the activity of ACC or vHPC neurons reduced contextual fear generalization at the remote time point, whereas stimulating the activity of ACC or vHPC neurons facilitated contextual fear generalization at a recent time point. We found that ACC neurons projected to the vHPC unidirectionally, and importantly, silencing the activity of projection fibers from the ACC to vHPC inhibited contextual fear generalization at the remote time point. Together, our findings reveal an ACC to vHPC circuit that controls expression of fear generalization and may offer new strategies to prevent or reverse contextual fear generalization in subjects with anxiety disorders, especially in PTSD. Overgeneralization of contextual fear memory is a cardinal feature of PTSD, but circuit mechanisms underlying it remain unclear. Our study indicates that neural projections from the anterior cingulate cortex to ventral hippocampus control the expression of contextual fear generalization. Thus, manipulating the circuit may prevent or reverse fear overgeneralization in subjects with PTSD.
Topics: Animals; Conditioning, Psychological; Fear; Gyrus Cinguli; Hippocampus; Locomotion; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nerve Net
PubMed: 31097621
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2739-18.2019 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Sep 2018Studies in the field of social neuroscience have recently made use of computational models of decision-making to provide new insights into how we learn about the self... (Review)
Review
Studies in the field of social neuroscience have recently made use of computational models of decision-making to provide new insights into how we learn about the self and others during social interactions. Importantly, these studies have increasingly drawn attention to brain areas outside of classical cortical "social brain" regions that may be critical for social processing. In particular, two portions of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC), subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex, have been linked to social and self learning signals, respectively. Here we discuss the emerging parallels between these studies. Uncovering the function of vACC during social interactions could provide important new avenues to understand social decision-making in health and disease.
Topics: Brain Mapping; Decision Making; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Interpersonal Relations
PubMed: 29886177
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.030 -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Sep 2021Despite many observations of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity related to cognition and affect in humans and nonhuman animals, little is known about the causal...
Despite many observations of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity related to cognition and affect in humans and nonhuman animals, little is known about the causal role of the ACC in psychological processes. Here, we investigate the causal role of the ACC in affective responding to threat in rhesus monkeys (), a species with an ACC largely homologous to humans in structure and connectivity. Male adult monkeys received bilateral ibotenate axon-sparing lesions to the ACC (sulcus and gyrus of areas 24, 32, and 25) and were tested in two classic tasks of monkey threat processing: the human intruder and object responsiveness tasks. Monkeys with ACC lesions did not significantly differ from controls in their overall mean reactivity toward threatening or novel stimuli. However, while control monkeys maintained their reactivity across test days, monkeys with ACC lesions reduced their reactivity toward stimuli as days advanced. Critically, this attenuated reactivity was found even when the stimuli presented each day were novel, suggesting that ACC lesions did not simply cause accelerated adaptation to stimuli as they became less novel over repeated presentations. Rather, these results imply that the primate ACC is necessary for maintaining appropriate affective responses toward potentially harmful and/or novel stimuli. These findings therefore have implications for mood disorders in which responding to threat and novelty is disrupted. Decades of research in humans and nonhuman animals have investigated the role of the anterior cingulate cortex in a huge number and variety of psychological processes spanning cognition and affect, as well as in psychological and neurologic diseases. The structure is broadly implicated in psychological processes and mental and neurologic health, yet its causal role in these processes has largely gone untested, particularly in primates. Here we demonstrate that when anterior cingulate cortex is completely eliminated, rhesus monkeys are initially responsive to threats, but these responses attenuate rather than persist, resembling a pattern of behavior commonly seen in patients diagnosed with mood disorders.
Topics: Affect; Animals; Attention; Cognition; Gyrus Cinguli; Ibotenic Acid; Macaca mulatta; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Neurons
PubMed: 34380767
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0673-21.2021 -
Nature Communications Aug 2022Anterior cingulate cortex mediates the flexible updating of an animal's choice responses upon rule changes in the environment. However, how anterior cingulate cortex...
Anterior cingulate cortex mediates the flexible updating of an animal's choice responses upon rule changes in the environment. However, how anterior cingulate cortex entrains motor cortex to reorganize rule representations and generate required motor outputs remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that chemogenetic silencing of the terminal projections of cingulate cortical neurons in secondary motor cortex in the rat disrupts choice performance in trials immediately following rule switches, suggesting that these inputs are necessary to update rule representations for choice decisions stored in the motor cortex. Indeed, the silencing of cingulate cortex decreases rule selectivity of secondary motor cortical neurons. Furthermore, optogenetic silencing of cingulate cortical neurons that is temporally targeted to error trials immediately after rule switches exacerbates errors in the following trials. These results suggest that cingulate cortex monitors behavioral errors and updates rule representations in motor cortex, revealing a critical role for cingulate-motor circuits in adaptive choice behaviors.
Topics: Animals; Gyrus Cinguli; Motor Cortex; Neurons; Rats
PubMed: 35927275
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32142-1 -
Cell Reports May 2023Persistent pain is a prevalent medical concern correlating with a hyperexcitable anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Its activity is modulated by inputs from several brain...
Persistent pain is a prevalent medical concern correlating with a hyperexcitable anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Its activity is modulated by inputs from several brain regions, but the maladjustments that these afferent circuits undergo during the transition from acute to chronic pain still require clarification. We focus on ACC-projecting claustrum (CLA) neurons and their responses to sensory and aversive stimuli in a mouse model of inflammatory pain. Using chemogenetics, in vivo calcium imaging, and ex vivo electrophysiological approaches, we reveal that suppression of CLA activity acutely attenuates allodynia and that the claustrum preferentially transmits aversive information to the ACC. With prolonged pain, a claustro-cingulate functional impairment develops, which is mediated by a weakened excitatory drive onto ACC pyramidal neurons, resulting in a diminished claustral influence on the ACC. These findings support an instrumental role of the claustrum in the processing of nociceptive information and its susceptibility to persistent pain states.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Gyrus Cinguli; Neurons; Chronic Pain; Hyperalgesia
PubMed: 37182208
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112506