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Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Response Conflict: Effects of Frequency, Inhibition and Errors

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Braver, T. S.·2001·Cerebral Cortex

Abstract

Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) may play a key role in cognitive control by monitoring for the occurrence of response conflict (i.e. simultaneous activation of incompatible response tendencies). Low-frequency responding might provide a minimal condition for eliciting such conflict, as a result of the need to overcome a prepotent response tendency. We predicted that ACC would be selectively engaged during low-frequency responding, irrespective of the specific task situation. To test this hypothesis, we examined ACC activity during the performance of simple choice-discrimination tasks, using rapid event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subjects were scanned while performing three tasks thought to tap different cognitive processes: 'Go/No-go' (response inhibition), 'oddball' (target detection), and two-alternative forced- choice (response selection). Separate conditions manipulated the frequency of relevant task events. Consistent with our hypothesis, the same ACC region was equally responsive to low-frequency events across all three tasks, but did not show differential responding when events occurred with equal frequency. Subregions of the ACC were also identified that showed heightened activity during the response inhibition condition, and on trials in which errors were committed. Task-sensitive activity was also found in right prefrontal and parietal cortex (response inhibition), left superior temporal and tempoparietal cortex (target detection), and supplementary motor area (response selection). Taken together, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that the ACC serves as a generic detector of processing conflict arising when low-frequency responses must be executed, but also leave open the possibility that further functional specialization may occur within ACC subregions.

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Botvinick MM, Braver TS, Barch DM, Carter CS, Cohen JC (2001) Evaluating the demand for control: anterior cingulate cortex and conf lict monitoring. Psychol Rev (in press).
  2. Snyder AZ (1996) Difference image versus ratio image error function forms in PET-PET realignment. In: Quantification of brain function using PET (Bailer D, Jones T, eds), pp. 131-137. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

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Authors
Braver, T. S.
Affiliations
Washington University in St. Louis (US)
Corresponding author
Braver, T. S.
Venue
Cerebral Cortex
Published
2001-09-01
Volume
11
Issue
9
Pages
825-836
ISSN
  • 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2199
OpenAlex
W2134181926
Cited by
1,016
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 59 · 2014: 59 · 2013: 58 · 2012: 43
FWCI
18.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
Keywords
anterior cingulate cortex, response conflict, cognitive control, response inhibition, prepotent response, error detection, event frequency, go/no-go task, oddball paradigm, response selection, supplementary motor area
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Brain Mapping, Cerebellum, Cerebral Cortex, Conflict, Psychological, Discrimination, Psychological, Evoked Potentials, Female, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Reaction Time, Reproducibility of Results

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