Persistent Neuronal Activity in Anterior Cingulate Cortex Correlates with Sustained Attention in Rats Regardless of Sensory Modality

Abstract

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has long been thought to regulate conflict between an object of attention and distractors during goal-directed sustained attention. However, it is unclear whether ACC serves to sustained attention itself. Here, we developed a task in which the time course of sustained attention could be controlled in rats. Then, using pharmacological lesion experiments, we employed it to assess function of ACC in sustained attention. We then recorded neuronal activity in ACC using multichannel extracellular recording techniques and identified specific ACC neurons persistently activated during the period of attention. Further experiments showed that target modality had minimal influence on the neuronal activity, and distracting external sensory input during the attention period did not perturb persistent neuronal activity. Additionally, minimal trial-to-trial variability in neuronal activity observed during sustained attention supports a role for ACC neurons in that behavior. Therefore, we conclude that the ACC neuronal activity correlates with sustained attention.The ability to maintain attention is fundamental to daily life, allowing human beings to concentrate cognitive faculties on critical tasks over prolonged periods of time 1,2 . Given that our environment is often complex, the brain chooses what to process over a period of time until a task is complete. Deficits in sustained attention, however, affect a large number of people, especially children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), leading to difficulties in learning and in social and affective functions. Therefore, it is critical to identify neuronal mechanisms underlying sustained attention.Many lines of evidence from studies of humans 3-8 , other primates 9,10 , and rodents 11-13 indirectly support the idea that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) functions in sustained attention. Those reports indicate that the ACC is recruited to regulate conflict between an object of attention and distractors during goal-directed sustained attention [3][4][5]7,10 . However, some argue that attention and conflict regulation are processed separately 14 , while others propose that the ACC encodes both preparatory attention and error detection [11][12][13] , and also functions in predicting upcoming events 7,9 . Using a three-choice serial reaction time task in rats, Totah and colleagues demonstrated that a subset of ACC neurons was recruited in preparatory attention 11 . In addition, Weissman and colleagues found that reduced ACC activity accounted for attention lapses 15 . Furthermore, analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs) suggests that the contingent negative variation (CNV) is caused by sustained attention 16,17 and derived primarily from ACC activity 8 . Nonetheless, it remains unknown whether ACC neurons are required for maintenance of attention. Given that CNV activity persists in sustained attention, it is reasonable to predict that at least a group of ACC neurons are consistently activated or suppressed during attentio...

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“… 71 , 72 Executive functioning in HPOA is still open to debate, as a recent study suggests that a group of cognitive maintainers may rely upon frontal mechanisms for memory maintenance. 22 Accordingly, the anterior cingulate is associated with the cognitive control and regulation of attention, 73 - 75 which corroborates that it may play a key role in the exceptional memory in HPOA. 16 , 22 …”

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