Cingulate cortex
The cingulate cortex is a part of the brain situated in the medial aspect of the cerebral cortex. The cingulate cortex includes the entire cingulate gyrus, which lies immediately above the corpus callosum, and the continuation of this in the cingulate sulcus. The cingulate cortex is usually considered part of the limbic lobe.
Cingulate cortex
cortex cingularis, gyrus cinguli
Cg
It receives inputs from the thalamus and the neocortex, and projects to the entorhinal cortex via the cingulum. It is an integral part of the limbic system, which is involved with emotion formation and processing,[1] learning,[2] and memory.[3][4] The combination of these three functions makes the cingulate gyrus highly influential in linking motivational outcomes to behavior (e.g. a certain action induced a positive emotional response, which results in learning).[5] This role makes the cingulate cortex highly important in disorders such as depression[6] and schizophrenia.[7] It also plays a role in executive function and respiratory control.
History[edit]
Cingulum means "belt" in Latin. The name was likely chosen because this cortex, in great part, surrounds the corpus callosum. The cingulate cortex is a part of the "grand lobe limbique" of Broca (1878) that consisted of a superior cingulate part (supracallosal) and an inferior hippocampic part (infracallosal).[24] The limbic lobe was separated from the remainder of the cortex by Broca for two reasons: first because it is not convoluted, and second because the gyri are directed parasagittally (contrary to the transverse gyrification). Since the parasagittal gyrification is observed in non-primate species, the limbic lobe was thus declared to be "bestial". As with other parts of the cortex, there have been and continue to be discrepancies concerning boundaries and naming. Brodmann (1909) further distinguished Areas 24 (anterior cingulate) and 23 (posterior) based on granularity. More recently, it was included as a part of the limbic lobe in the Terminologia Anatomica (1998)[25] following von Economo's (1925) system.[26]
Medial surface of cerebral hemisphere. Medial view. Deep dissection.
Medial surface of cerebral hemisphere. Medial view. Deep dissection.
Medial surface of cerebral hemisphere. Medial view. Deep dissection.
3D view of the cingulate gyrus (green) and paracingulate gyrus (yellow) in an average human brain
