Definition of Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)

The Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) is a region of the brain located in the medial frontal lobe, situated between the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system. It is primarily associated with cognitive and emotional processing, executive functions, and decision-making.

Anatomy of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex

The ACC is a bilateral structure, meaning it is present on both sides of the brain. It is divided into two main subdivisions: the Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex (rACC) and the Caudal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (cACC).

Function of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex

The ACC plays a crucial role in various cognitive and emotional processes. Some of its key functions include:

• Cognitive Control: The ACC is involved in monitoring and regulating cognitive control, including attention, conflict resolution, error detection, and response inhibition.
• Emotion and Affect: It contributes to the processing and regulation of emotional and affective states, playing a role in emotional awareness, empathy, and the generation of emotional responses.
• Pain Perception: The ACC is associated with the perception and modulation of pain. It is involved in the evaluation of pain intensity and the experience of pain-related distress.
• Social Cognition: It supports social cognition processes such as theory of mind, perspective taking, and moral decision-making.
• Decision-making and Reward Processing: The ACC contributes to decision-making by evaluating potential outcomes and assessing their value and reward implications.

Clinical Implications

Alterations in the functioning of the ACC have been implicated in various psychiatric and neurological disorders, including depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and addiction.

Understanding the specific role of the ACC in these disorders may aid in the development of targeted interventions and enhance our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms involved in cognitive and emotional dysregulation.