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Human cingulate cortex and autonomic control: converging neuroimaging and clinical evidence
Hugo D Critchley1, Christopher J Mathias, Oliver Josephs
1Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK. h.critchley@fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk
Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|June 25, 2003
Summary
The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) regulates cardiovascular arousal during demanding tasks. Patients with ACC damage show blunted autonomic responses, indicating its role in mediating bodily arousal.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) function is traditionally viewed through a cognitive lens.
- The role of the ACC in autonomic cardiovascular control remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ACC's involvement in autonomic cardiovascular regulation during cognitive and motor tasks.
- To determine if ACC activity related to cardiovascular control is dissociable from cognitive/motor activity.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) combined with simultaneous electrocardiography (ECG).
- Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) indices, including high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) power.
- Clinical study of patients with focal ACC damage performing cognitive and motor tasks.
Main Results:
- Dorsal ACC activity correlated with sympathetic modulation of heart rate, distinct from cognitive/motor task activity.
- Patients with ACC lesions exhibited impaired autonomic cardiovascular responses and blunted arousal to mental stress.
- Comparison with 147 healthy subjects confirmed these findings in ACC-lesioned patients.
Conclusions:
- The dorsal ACC plays a crucial role in generating cardiovascular arousal states during effortful cognitive and motor behaviors.
- ACC function is essential for context-driven modulation of bodily arousal.
- Neuroimaging and clinical data converge to support the ACC's role in integrating cognitive demands with autonomic responses.