title: The will to persevere induced by electrical stimulation of the human cingulate gyrus.
abstract: 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.
authors: Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology (LBCN), Stanford Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program (SHICEP), Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Electronic address: jparvizi@stanford.edu.
authors: Josef
authors: J
authors: Parvizi
authors: Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology (LBCN), Stanford Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program (SHICEP), Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors: Vinitha
authors: V
authors: Rangarajan
authors: Functional Imaging in Neuropsychiatric Disorders (FIND) Lab, Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors: William R
authors: WR
authors: Shirer
authors: Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology (LBCN), Stanford Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program (SHICEP), Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors: Nikita
authors: N
authors: Desai
authors: Functional Imaging in Neuropsychiatric Disorders (FIND) Lab, Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors: Michael D
authors: MD
authors: Greicius
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D001931:Brain Mapping; D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology