Functional connectivity of the mid-cingulate cortex

Introduction: The anterior mid-cingulate cortex (aMCC) plays a crucial role in action initiation (Hoffstaedter et al., under review). Furthermore, multiple prefrontal, parietal, and premotor areas interact with the aMCC in context of self-initiated movements, which may thus play a key role in motor control. The aMCC may thus represent an interface between cognitive and motor networks. Here we tested this assumption comparing functional connectivity patterns of the MCC (1) in the context of explicit task conditions and (2) at “rest”, i.e., during the absence of an external task. Methods: (1) Using the BrainMap database we identified all experiments featuring activation in the aMCC and performed meta-analytic connectivity modeling (MACM). (2) Seed-based ‘Resting-state’ analysis revealed functional connectivity of the aMCC at ‘rest’. A conjunction analysis over the results of the MACM, the Resting-state analysis and our former fMRI study assessing intentional movement initiation revealed consistent functional connectivity of the aMCC. Results: The aMCC is functionally connected to ‘sensorimotor’ regions including sensorimotor areas, dorsal and medial premotor cortices, putamen, caudate nucleus as well as the cerebellum. More “cognitive” regions interacting with the aMCC were dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex, Ares 44/45, anterior insula and rostral inferior parietal cortex.

Conclusions: A specific co-activation pattern of the aMCC was equally present in states where subjects had to engage (1) in structured, externally purported tasks as well as (2) in a task-free “resting” state. Our results demonstrated a close correspondence between both states, which points to a rather fundamental underlying feature of the aMCC. We provide evidence for a fundamental functional role of the MCC for initiating and implementing intentional motor control by connecting sensorimotor and more cognitive systems in the brain.

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