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The Journal of Neuroscience, December 17, 2008, 28(51):14000-14005; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4450-08.2008

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Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Dorsal Medial Prefrontal Cortex Plays a Necessary Role in Rapid Error Prediction in Humans

Mandana Modirrousta and Lesley K. Fellows

Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4

Correspondence should be addressed to Lesley K. Fellows, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal Neurological Institute, 3801 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4. Email: lesley.fellows{at}mcgill.ca

Activity in human dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is correlated with errors, near-misses, and response conflict. Based on these observations, this region has been cast as playing a central role in models of error processing, conflict monitoring, and cognitive control. However, clear evidence that this region of the brain is necessary for these processes has been elusive. We studied the effects of damage to this region on four different error-related measures in five patients, and 19 healthy participants. Most error-related indices were not affected by such damage: patients had intact post-error slowing, and were able to report and to correct errors after they were made with accuracies comparable with the control group. However, all five patients were notably slow to correct errors, suggesting a deficit in on-line error prediction. This slowing was associated with impairment in the conscious prediction of error likelihood before a response. This finding constitutes important converging evidence for a critical role for human dACC in error monitoring, and sheds light on the selectivity and timing of the error-related process affected by dACC damage.

Key words: anterior cingulate cortex; conflict monitoring; cognitive control; executive function; decision making; lesion

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Received Sept. 16, 2008; revised Oct. 31, 2008; accepted Nov. 16, 2008.

Correspondence should be addressed to Lesley K. Fellows, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal Neurological Institute, 3801 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4. Email: lesley.fellows{at}mcgill.ca

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. K. Jessup, J. R. Busemeyer, and J. W. Brown Error Effects in Anterior Cingulate Cortex Reverse when Error Likelihood Is High J. Neurosci., March 3, 2010; 30(9): 3467 - 3472. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C.-H. Luk and J. D. Wallis Dynamic Encoding of Responses and Outcomes by Neurons in Medial Prefrontal Cortex J. Neurosci., June 10, 2009; 29(23): 7526 - 7539. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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