Predominance of excitatory-excitatory interactions between the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices associated with distinct aspects of emotions

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and posterior orbitofrontal cortex (pOFC) are limbic cortices distinguished by their connections and role in emotional process. The pOFC has connections with cortices associated with each and every sensory modality. In contrast, the ACC has sparse monosynaptic connections with sensory cortices with the exception of robust connections with auditory association cortices and the primary olfactory cortex. The ACC also has more connections with medial temporal cortices associated with memory and with central autonomic structures than the pOFC (Barbas 1993; reviewed in Barbas et al. 2011). Both cortices are strongly connected with the amygdala but the pOFC receives more input than it sends to the amygdala, whereas the opposite is true for the ACC (Ghashghaei et al. 2007). In previous studies we have suggested that ACC and pOFC appear to have complementary roles in emotional behavior and may work synergistically: the pOFC may be the cortical sensor for emotions while ACC is the motor effector for emotions.