Two movement-related foci in the primate cingulate cortex observed in signal-triggered and self-paced forelimb movements

Abstract

1. Single-unit activity in the cingulate cortex of the monkey was recorded during the performance of sensorially (visual, auditory, or tactile) triggered or self-paced forelimb key press movements. 2. Microelectrodes were inserted into the broad rostrocaudal expanse of the cingulate cortex, including the upper and lower banks of the cingulate sulcus and the hemispheric medial wall of the cingulate gyrus. 3. A total of 1,042 task-related neurons were examined, the majority of which were related to the execution of the key press movements. In greater than 60% of them, the movement-related activity preceded the activity in the distal flexor muscles. 4. The movement-related neurons were distributed, in two foci, in the posterior and anterior parts of the cingulate cortex, both including the upper and lower banks of the cingulate sulcus. The posterior focus was found to largely overlap the area projecting to the forelimb area of the primary motor cortex by the use of the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) method. 5. About 40% of the cingulate cortical neurons showed equimagnitude responses during the signal-triggered and self-paced movements. The neurons exhibiting a selective or differential response to the self-paced motor task were more frequently observed in the anterior than in the posterior cingulate cortex. 6. The long-lead type of changes in activity, ranging from 500 ms to 2 s, were observed mainly before the self-paced and, much less frequently, before the triggered movements. They were particularly abundant in the anterior cingulate cortex. 7. Only a few of the neurons showed activity time-locked to the onset of the sensory signals. 8. These observations indicate that the anterior and posterior parts of the cingulate cortex are distinct entities participating in the performance of limb movements, even if the movements are simple, such as those in this study.

Cerebral midline structures in bimanual coordination

“…Activity changes within cingulate sulcal areas were thus similar to those observed in primary motor areas. Movement-related activity in caudal cingulate cortex cells in monkeys (Shima et al 1991), close anatomical connections between cingulate motor areas and primary motor cortex again in monkeys (Muakkassa and Strick 1979;Dum and Strick 1991) and a covariation of rCBF levels in cingulate sulcal areas and primary sensorimotor area during force control in humans (Dettmers et al 1995) support the notion that caudal cingulate areas are involved in elementary processes of movement control in monkeys and humans. Why, then, did we not observe a further increase in cingulate activity during bimanual in-phase movements over and above that which would be expected from the combined unimanual conditions, even though the actual movement execution now has to be coordinated between both sides?…”

Architecture and neurocytology of monkey cingulate gyrus

“…The cCMA has somatotopically organized skeletomotor projections to the spinal cord (Biber et al, 1978;Dum and Strick, 1991, 1993Luppino et al, 1991) and large pyramids in layer V that express intermediate neurofilament proteins (Nimchinsky et al, 1996;1997) and neurons that project to motor cortex (Morecraft and Van Hoesen, 1992;Nimchinsky et al, 1996). The rostral cingulate sulcus has the rostral Cingulate Motor Area (rCMA) which differs from the cCMA because the former has longer pre-movement activity onset, responses associated with the changing reward features of a movement and projections to the pre-supplementary motor part of the striatum rather than to that part which receives primary motor cortex input and differences in corticocortical connections (Shima et al, 1991;Luppino et al, 1991;Van Hoesen et al, 1993;Rizzolatti et al, 1996;Shima and Tanji, 1998;Takada et al, 2001). Finally, the duality of the human MCC has been established with anterior (aMCC) and posterior (pMCC) parts based on the two CMAs and different cytoarchitectures .…”

Dissociation between conflict detection and error monitoring in the human anterior cingulate cortex

“…The rostral͞ventral division has been linked to emotion, and the more dorsal͞caudal region has been associated with cognition and higher-order motor control (3,4). The motor-control processes demonstrate a further degree of specificity, showing a somatotopic organization based on response modality (5)(6)(7)(8).…”