What is Anterior cingulate cortex?
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a brain region involved in error detection, conflict monitoring, pain processing, and the regulation of emotional and cognitive responses. It acts as an alarm system that detects when current actions conflict with goals.
How it works
The ACC activates when a person makes an error, faces conflicting information (as in the Stroop task), or experiences pain or social rejection. It signals to the prefrontal cortex that additional cognitive control is needed. Dysfunction in the ACC is associated with apathy, impaired decision-making, and difficulties with emotion regulation. The region bridges cognitive and emotional processing, making it critical for adaptive behavior.
Applied example
When a person types ‘teh’ instead of ‘the,’ the ACC detects the error almost instantaneously, generating an error-related negativity signal that triggers the correction before the person is even consciously aware of the mistake.
Why it matters
The ACC is the brain’s conflict detector, essential for catching errors, resolving competing demands, and triggering the additional cognitive control needed for adaptive behavior.
