Nervous system · Head and neck
Cingulate gyrus !
The cingulate gyrus is a curved fold of brain wrapped over the corpus callosum; it is involved in emotion, motivation, attention and pain.
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What it is
A curved gyrus wrapped over the corpus callosum.
What it does
Emotion, motivation, attention and pain.
Key facts
- Where
- Above the corpus callosum
- Blood supply
- ACA
- Function
- Emotion, motivation, pain affect (limbic)
Relations
- Above
- Cingulate sulcus, with the superior frontal gyrus and the paracentral lobule above
- Below
- Callosal sulcus and corpus callosum; the pericallosal arteries run in the sulcus
- Behind
- Narrow isthmus behind the splenium, continuous with the parahippocampal gyrus
- Medial
- Falx cerebri, whose free lower edge lies above the corpus callosum
- Deep
- Cingulum, an association bundle running its whole length
How to find it
Best seen on midsagittal MRI as the gyrus arching parallel to the corpus callosum, between the callosal and cingulate sulci. Toward the back, the cingulate sulcus turns up as the marginal ramus, just behind the paracentral lobule.
On imaging
On CT and MRI, the septum pellucidum and the cingulate gyrus pushed across the midline under the falx are the sign of subfalcine herniation; the midline shift is measured at the septum pellucidum.
Clinical notes
- Bilateral anterior cerebral artery infarcts (both arteries can arise from one trunk) can damage both cingulate gyri and cause akinetic mutism
- Anterior cingulotomy has been used as a last resort for intractable pain and severe obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Falx meningiomas and other medial frontal masses often present with apathy and behaviour change before any weakness
Related conditions
- Alzheimer disease
- Dementia with Lewy bodies
- Major depressive disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)
- Somatic symptom and illness anxiety disorders
- Body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder and trichotillomania
- Prolonged grief disorder
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which circuit is the cingulate gyrus part of?
The Papez circuit: anterior thalamic nucleus, cingulate gyrus, cingulum, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus; it is part of the limbic lobe.
What does bilateral damage to the anterior cingulate gyrus cause?
Akinetic mutism or marked apathy (abulia), for example after bilateral anterior cerebral artery infarcts.
What is subfalcine herniation, and which artery can it compress?
A mass pushes the cingulate gyrus under the free edge of the falx cerebri; the anterior cerebral artery can be compressed, causing a leg-predominant infarct.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- gyrus cinguli TA2 5513
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Giro del Cíngulo DeCS D006179
- English (TA2)
- Cingulate gyrus
- Also called
- cingulate cortex
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); DeCS; Neuroanatomy, Cingulate Cortex.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
