Neuron
Volume 80, Issue 6, 18 December 2013, Pages 1359-1367
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Case Study
The Will to Persevere Induced by Electrical Stimulation of the Human Cingulate Gyrus

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2013.10.057Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Electrical stimulation of the anterior cingulate region performed in two subjects

  • A stereotyped set of cognitive and autonomic changes was elicited in both subjects

  • This included feeling of anticipated challenge and strong motivation to overcome it

  • Site of stimulation in both subjects was a core node of the brain’s salience network

Summary

Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is known to be involved in functions such as emotion, pain, and cognitive control. While studies in humans and nonhuman mammals have advanced our understanding of ACC function, the subjective correlates of ACC activity have remained largely unexplored. In the current study, we show that electrical charge delivery in the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) elicits autonomic changes and the expectation of an imminent challenge coupled with a determined attitude to overcome it. Seed-based, resting-state connectivity analysis revealed that the site of stimulation in both patients was at the core of a large-scale distributed network linking aMCC to the frontoinsular and frontopolar as well as some subcortical regions. This report provides compelling, first-person accounts of electrical stimulation of this brain network and suggests its possible involvement in psychopathological conditions that are characterized by a reduced capacity to endure psychological or physical distress.

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