Functional organization of the medial frontal cortex

Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2007 Apr;17(2):220-7. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2007.03.001. Epub 2007 Mar 12.

Abstract

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and adjacent areas of the medial frontal cortex (MFC) have been implicated in monitoring behaviour and in detecting errors. Recent evidence, however, suggests that the ACC not only registers the occurrence of errors but also represents other aspects of the reinforcement history that are crucial for guiding behaviour. Other studies raise the possibility that dorsal MFC areas not only monitor behaviour but also actually control response selection, particularly when the task in hand is changing. Many decisions are made in social contexts and their chances of success depend on what other individuals are doing. Evaluation of other individuals is therefore crucial for effective action selection, and some ACC regions are implicated in this process.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior / physiology
  • Brain Mapping*
  • Decision Making / physiology
  • Frontal Lobe / anatomy & histology*
  • Frontal Lobe / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Learning / physiology