Open access
Date
2013-12-20Type
- Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
A plethora of research has implicated the cingulate cortex in the processing of social information (i.e., processing elicited by, about, and directed toward others) and reward-related information that guides decision-making. However, it is often overlooked that there is variability in the cytoarchitectonic properties and anatomical connections across the cingulate cortex, which is indicative of functional variability. Here we review evidence from lesion, single-unit recording and functional imaging studies. Taken together, these support the claim that the processing of information that has the greatest influence on social behavior can be localized to the gyral surface of the midcingulate cortex (MCCg). We propose that the MCCg is engaged when predicting and monitoring the outcomes of decisions during social interactions. In particular, the MCCg processes statistical information that tracks the extent to which the outcomes of decisions meet goals when interacting with others. We provide a novel framework for the computational mechanisms that underpin such social information processing in the MCCg. This framework provides testable hypotheses for the social deficits displayed in autism spectrum disorders and psychopathy.
Primates live in social environments that require individuals to understand the complex behavior of conspecifics. A plethora of research implicates the dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) as playing a vital role in processing “social” information (i.e., processing elicited by, about, or directed toward others) (Amodio and Frith, 2006; Somerville et al., 2006; Rudebeck et al., 2008; Behrens et al., 2009; Apps et al., 2012; Hillman and Bilkey, 2012). Indeed, individuals with lesions to the ACC display social deficits so severe that they are said to have “acquired sociopathy” (Anderson et al., 1999). However, the ACC is also engaged by rewards (Doya, 2008), attention and salience (Davis et al., 2005), conflict, and during decision-making (Botvinick et al., 1999; Botvinick, 2007) which are inherently non-social processes. How can the same region be engaged by such a distinct set of processes? It is often overlooked that the area labeled as “ACC” by functional imaging research comprises multiple sub-regions, each with distinct cytoarchitecture and anatomical connections (Vogt et al., 1995; Palomero-Gallagher et al., 2008; Beckmann et al., 2009). Thus, some of the processes that have been reported to elicit an ACC response may in fact be localized to distinct sub-regions.
Here, we draw attention to anatomical tracer, neurophysiology, lesion and neuroimaging studies investigating the anatomical and functional properties of the dorsal ACC. Taken together this research highlights one sub-region which processes information about the outcomes of others' decisions and about the decisions made by others during social interactions. This region in fact lies on the gyral surface of the midcingulate cortex (MCCg) and not in the anatomically defined ACC. We contend that whilst the sulcal (MCCs) and gyral (MCCg) regions of the MCC can be differentiated in terms of processing first-person and social information respectively, the two areas process similar information about rewards that guide decision-making. By drawing parallels between the role of the MCCs in processing first-person rewards, and that of the MCCg in processing rewards in social contexts, we provide a new framework for investigating the contribution of the MCC to social decision-making. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000078294Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Frontiers in NeuroscienceVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
Frontiers MediaSubject
Social reward; Autism spectrum disorders (ASD); Psychopathy; Prediction error; Midcingulate cortex; Anterior cingulate cortex; Social cognition; EmpathyOrganisational unit
03963 - Wenderoth, Nicole / Wenderoth, Nicole
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ETH Bibliography
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