Covert auditory attention generates activation in the rostral/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is implicated in conscious information processing and attention.
• Prior studies often confounded attention with motor responses, limiting understanding of ACC function.
• Previous research linked caudal ACC activity to attention and motor responding near the supplementary motor area (SMA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain activation during non-motor, covert auditory attention using PET.
• To identify specific ACC regions involved in conscious auditory attention, distinct from motor control.
• To test the hypothesis that a rostral ACC region, anterior to the SMA, is active during covert attention (CA).

Main Methods:

• Used (15)O H(2)O positron emission tomography (PET) to map brain activity.
• Employed a covert auditory attention task requiring discrimination of target syllables.
• Simultaneously recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) to confirm attention and discrimination.

Main Results:

• Significant activation was observed in a rostral/dorsal division of the right ACC, anterior to the SMA.
• This region showed increased activity during monitored auditory stimuli compared to non-monitored.
• Additional activation occurred in the left lateral prefrontal cortex and posterior superior temporal gyrus.

Conclusions:

• A rostral/dorsal subdivision of the right ACC is specifically associated with conscious auditory attention.
• This ACC region's role is distinct from premotor response formation.
• Findings contribute to neurocognitive models of attention, vigilance, and auditory processing.