Cingulate cortex

The cingulate cortex is a part of the brain in the middle of the cerebral cortex. The two parts of the cingulate cortex are the cingulate gyrus and the cingulate sulcus. The cingulate cortex is above the corpus callosum.

Connections

The cingulate cortex is connected to many other parts of the brain. It gets input from the thalamus and the neocortex. Neurons send information from the cingulate cortex to the entorhinal cortex.

Importance

The cingulate cortex is a part of the limbic system. It is important for emotions, learning, and memory. The cingulate gyrus is very important for learning from the result of actions (eg. a child did an action that caused a bad outcome, so the child learned to not do that action). The cingulate cortex is also important in depression and schizophrenia.

Cingulate Cortex Media

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  Sagittal MRI slice with highlighting indicating location of the cingulate cortex.

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  Brodmann areas of a medial section of the right hemisphere.

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  Micrograph showing spindle neurons of the cingulate cortex. HE-LFB stain.

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  Medial surface of cerebral hemisphere. Medial view. Deep dissection.

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  Medial surface of cerebral hemisphere. Medial view. Deep dissection.

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  Medial surface of cerebral hemisphere. Medial view. Deep dissection.

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  3D view of the cingulate gyrus (green) and paracingulate gyrus (yellow) in an average human brain