Computational Models of Anterior Cingulate Cortex: At the Crossroads between Prediction and Effort

• Published in: Frontiers in neuroscience Vol. 11; p. 316
• Main Authors: Vassena, Eliana, Holroyd, Clay B, Alexander, William H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 06.06.2017; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Adaptation; Animal cognition; anterior cingulate cortex (ACC); Automation; Brain mapping; Cognition; Cognitive ability; computational modeling; computational models of ACC; Computational neuroscience; Cortex (cingulate); EEG; effort; effortful control; Error correction & detection; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Handbooks; Medical imaging; Neural coding; Neuroimaging; Neuroscience; prediction error; Social interactions; Theory; effort; effortful control; prediction error; computational modeling; computational models of ACC; anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)
• ISSN: 1662-4548; 1662-453X; 1662-453X
• DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00316

In the last two decades the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has become one of the most investigated areas of the brain. Extensive neuroimaging evidence suggests countless functions for this region, ranging from conflict and error coding, to social cognition, pain and effortful control. In response to this burgeoning amount of data, a proliferation of computational models has tried to characterize the neurocognitive architecture of ACC. Early seminal models provided a computational explanation for a relatively circumscribed set of empirical findings, mainly accounting for EEG and fMRI evidence. More recent models have focused on ACC's contribution to effortful control. In parallel to these developments, several proposals attempted to explain within a single computational framework a wider variety of empirical findings that span different cognitive processes and experimental modalities. Here we critically evaluate these modeling attempts, highlighting the continued need to reconcile the array of disparate ACC observations within a coherent, unifying framework.