Prefrontal and Anterior Cingulate Contributions to Volition in Depression

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the neuroimaging findings demonstrating the recruitment of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in functions central to volition, as well as the large literature implicating those two structures in depression. A synthesis is described in the chapter that highlights the importance of volition for understanding the phenomenology and neural circuitry of depression and points to innovative research designs to further probe how volition operates in depression. The DLPFC and ACC have prominent and distinct roles in volition, particularly in the formation and implementation of action plans. Volation is defined as the conscious implementation of an intention to act, either physically or mentally. Volition requires an individual to focus and properly allocate attention and resources for the initiation and implementation of a definite action plan. Volition is a multifaceted construct of high relevance to the dysfunction accompanying depression. Cognitive neuroscience research has uncovered the neural substrates of some of the key features of volition, which direct attention to two brain territories in particular—DLPFC and ACC. Neuroimaging and other neuropsychological investigations of depression have repeatedly reported abnormalities in those two cortical regions.