Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)

Question 1

What does the ACC do?

Answer 1

Serves as interface between executive functions of frontal lobe (i.e, decision making), emotional functioning of amygdala, and brain areas for mov’t .

Question 2

What happens when stimulated?

Answer 2

You experience both positive + neg emotions.

Question 3

What happens to ACC when damaged?

Answer 3

Results in akinetic mutism - people don’t speak or move

Question 4

What other part of the brain does the ACC have a strong connection to?

Answer 4

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPC)

Question 5

What role does the DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (DLPC) PLAY?

Answer 5

executive control over cognitive abilities

ex. working memory, logical reasoning

Question 6

What’s the theory behind the conflict btwn EMOTIONAL and UTILITARIAN influence?

Answer 6

That both utilitarian and emotional influences in decision making activates the ACC which activates DLPFC.

The DLPFC initiates process of weighing emotional and rational factors and “comes to decision” about what action to take.

vmPFC –> ACC –> DLPFC