Deficits in visual cognition and attention following bilateral anterior cingulotomy

A series of eight tests of visual cognitive abilities was used to examine p re- to post-operative performance changes in a patient receiving bilateral anterior cingulotomy. Compared with a set of eight matched control particip ants, post-operatively, the patient exhibited deficits in (a) the ability t o sequence novel cognitive operations required to generate multipart images or rotate perceptual stimuli; (b) the ability to search for, select, and c ompare images of objects when the instructions did not specify precisely wh ich objects should be visualized: and, (c) the ability to select a controll ed and unpracticed response over an automatic one. Other imagery and cognit ive tasks Mere not affected. Results are consistent with the hypothesis tha t anterior cingulate cortex is a component of an executive control system. One of the anterior cingulate's roles may be to monitor on-line processing and signal the motivational significance of current actions or cognitions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.