Contributions of anterior cingulate cortex to behaviour.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing animal, human neuroimaging, and clinical lesion/epilepsy case observations
PubMed 7895011 · doi:10.1093/brain/118.1.279
What was done
This narrative review synthesizes evidence from neuroanatomy, animal experiments, human functional neuroimaging, and clinical case series (including anterior cingulate epilepsy with subdural electrode monitoring, surgical cingulumotomy, and ischemic infarcts) to outline the structural and functional organization of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative metrics or statistical values. It delineates the ACC into an affect division (areas 25, 33, rostral 24) connected to the amygdala and periaqueductal gray that regulates autonomic/endocrine functions, emotional valence, vocalizations, and maternal-infant interactions; and a cognition division (caudal areas 24' and 32', cingulate motor areas, and nociceptive cortex) projecting to the red nucleus and spinal cord that mediates response selection, cognitively demanding processing, and motor execution. Elevated ACC activity (e.g., in cingulate epilepsy) is linked to altered affective states, impaired consciousness, tics, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors, whereas decreased activity from lesions or infarcts is associated with akinetic mutism, motor neglect, diminished pain responses, and depression.
Why it matters
This paper established an influential dual-division framework (affect vs. cognition) for the anterior cingulate cortex, shaping subsequent neuroscience paradigms on executive control, pain processing, and motivational disorders.
Limits
The abstract describes a qualitative narrative review rather than a systematic review or quantitative meta-analysis. No sample sizes, effect sizes, or formal risk-of-bias assessments are reported, and findings integrate heterogeneous animal models and uncontrolled human clinical case observations.