ABSTRACT
The Cingulo-Opercular network (CON) is an executive network of the human brain that regulates actions. CON is composed of many widely distributed cortical regions that are involved in top-down control over both lower-level (i.e., motor) and higher-level (i.e., cognitive) functions, as well as in processing of painful stimuli. Given the topographical and functional heterogeneity of the CON, we investigated whether subnetworks within the CON support separable aspects of action control. Using precision functional mapping (PFM) in 15 participants with > 5 hours of resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) and task data, we identified three anatomically and functionally distinct CON subnetworks within each individual. These three distinct subnetworks were linked to Decisions, Actions, and Feedback (including pain processing), respectively, in convergence with a meta-analytic task database. These Decision, Action and Feedback subnetworks represent pathways by which the brain establishes top-down goals, transforms those goals into actions, implemented as movements, and processes critical action feedback such as pain.
Competing Interest Statement
N.U.F.D. has a financial interest in Turing Medical Inc. and may financially benefit if the company is successful in marketing FIRMM motion monitoring software products. N.U.F.D. may receive royalty income based on FIRMM technology developed at Washington University School of Medicine and licensed to Turing Medical Inc. N.U.F.D. is a co-founder of Turing Medical Inc. These potential conflicts of interest have been reviewed and are managed by Washington University School of Medicine.