Response selection in the human anterior cingulate cortex

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been proposed as part of the brain' s attentional control network, but the exact nature of its involvement in c ognitive and motor operations is under debate. Assessing effects of human A CC damage directly addresses the problem of ACC function. We report that ex ecutive control processes of a patient with a focal right hemisphere anteri or cingulate lesion were not compromised. However, her performance level de pended on the response modality used. Under the same task requirements, she was impaired when giving manual responses, but not vocal responses. Thus, we provide neuropsychological evidence for functional specialization within the human ACC.