Many parts of the frontal lobe are integral to the selection and control of goal-directed actions. However, it is an open question what the exact contribution of discrete prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortical regions is to this process. This is exemplified by the debates over the function of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (Figure 1). Activations have been found in this region in a diverse range of cognitive tasks as well as in response to autonomic arousal (Botvinick, Cohen and Carter, 2004; Bush, Luu and Posner, 2000; Critchley, 2005; Paus, Koski, Caramanos and Westbury, 1998; Rushworth, Walton, Kennerley and Bannerman, 2004), leading to the question of what the common factor driving the ACC response in these situations may be. However, the ACC is also seldom activated in isolation of other interconnected regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), lateral prefrontal cortex and parts of the striatum (Duncan and Owen, 2000; Paus, Koski, Caramanos and Westbury, 1998). This raises the related issue of how the function of the ACC differs from these other prefrontal areas. Furthermore, there has frequently not been perfect correspondence between the data gathered using different techniques and species.
