Editing Anterior cingulate cortex (section)

===Role in registering pain===
The ACC registers physical pain as shown in functional MRI studies that showed an increase in signal intensity, typically in the posterior part of area 24 of the ACC, that was correlated with pain intensity. When this pain-related activation was accompanied by attention-demanding cognitive tasks (verbal fluency), the attention-demanding tasks increased signal intensity in a region of the ACC anterior and/or superior to the pain-related activation region.<ref>Davis, Karen D., Stephen J. Taylor, Adrian P. Crawley, Michael L. Wood, and David J. Mikulis. "Functional MRI of pain- and attention-related activations in the human cingulate cortex", ''J. Neurophysiol.'' volume 77: pages 3370–3380, 1997 [http://jn.physiology.org/content/77/6/3370.short]</ref> The ACC is the cortical area that has been most frequently linked to the experience of pain.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pinel|first=John P.J. | name-list-style = vanc |title= Biopsychology |year=2011 |publisher=Allyn & Bacon |location=Boston|isbn=978-0-205-83256-9|page=181|edition=8th }}</ref> It appears to be involved in the emotional reaction to pain rather than to the perception of pain itself.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Price DD | s2cid = 15250446 | title = Psychological and neural mechanisms of the affective dimension of pain | journal = Science | volume = 288 | issue = 5472 | pages = 1769–72 | date = June 2000 | pmid = 10846154 | doi = 10.1126/science.288.5472.1769 | bibcode = 2000Sci...288.1769P }}</ref>

Evidence from social neuroscience studies have suggested that, in addition to its role in physical pain, the ACC may also be involved in monitoring painful social situations as well, such as exclusion or rejection. When participants felt socially excluded in an fMRI virtual ball throwing game in which the ball was never thrown to the participant, the ACC showed activation. Further, this activation was correlated with a self-reported measure of social distress, indicating that the ACC may be involved in the detection and monitoring of social situations which may cause social/emotional pain, rather than just physical pain.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Eisenberger NI, Lieberman MD, Williams KD | title = Does rejection hurt? An FMRI study of social exclusion | journal = Science | volume = 302 | issue = 5643 | pages = 290–2 | date = October 2003 | pmid = 14551436 | doi = 10.1126/science.1089134 | bibcode = 2003Sci...302..290E | s2cid = 21253445 }}</ref>