Executive attention 



Working 

 memory 



Space 



Cingulate gyrus 



Visual orienting 



Visual features 



Fig. 4. Diagram showing control of cognitive networks from the dorsal anterior 

 cingulate (adapted from Posner and Raichle, 1996). 



the Von Economo neuron is found only in the anterior cingulate and 

 a related area of the anterior insula (Allman et al., 2005). It is 

 thought that this neuron is important in communication between the 

 cingulate and other brain areas. This neuron is not present at all in 

 macaques and expands greatly in frequency between great apes and 

 humans. The two brain areas in which von Economo neurons are 

 found (cingulate and anterior insula) are also shown to be in close 

 communication even during the resting state (Dosenbach et al., 

 2007). Moreover, there is some evidence that the frequency of this 

 type of neuron also increases during development between infancy 

 and later childhood (Allman et al., 2005). In our view (1) these 

 neurons, and the rapid and efficient connectivity they provide, are 

 a major reason why self-regulation in adult humans can be so much 

 stronger than in other organisms, and (2) the development of this 

 system may relate to the achievements in self-regulation that we 

 have documented between infancy and age 7-8 (see fig. 11). This 

 form of regulation is illustrated in the diagram in figure 4 that shows 

 the close connection between the dorsal anterior cingulate and areas 

 of the brain related to perception, language, and action. Because of 

 the regulation provided by the brain network involving the cingulate, 

 we call this the executive attention network. 



It is possible to use fMRI to examine the functional connectivity 



