Anterior cingulate cortex, error detection, and the online monitoring of performance

Cameron S. Carter, Todd S. Braver, Deanna M. Barch, Matthew M. Botvinick, Douglas Noll, Jonathan D. Cohen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2743 Scopus citations

Abstract

An unresolved question in neuroscience and psychology is how the brain monitors performance to regulate behavior. It has been proposed that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), on the medial surface of the frontal lobe, contributes to performance monitoring by detecting errors. In this study, event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine ACC function. Results confirm that this region shows activity during erroneous responses. However, activity was also observed in the same region during correct responses under conditions of Increased response competition. This suggests that the ACC detects conditions under which errors are likely to occur rather than errors themselves.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)747-749
Number of pages3
JournalScience
Volume280
Issue number5364
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 1998

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Anterior cingulate cortex, error detection, and the online monitoring of performance'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this