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Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Sep 2018The cingulum bundle is a prominent white matter tract that interconnects frontal, parietal, and medial temporal sites, while also linking subcortical nuclei to the... (Review)
Review
The cingulum bundle is a prominent white matter tract that interconnects frontal, parietal, and medial temporal sites, while also linking subcortical nuclei to the cingulate gyrus. Despite its apparent continuity, the cingulum's composition continually changes as fibres join and leave the bundle. To help understand its complex structure, this review begins with detailed, comparative descriptions of the multiple connections comprising the cingulum bundle. Next, the impact of cingulum bundle damage in rats, monkeys, and humans is analysed. Despite causing extensive anatomical disconnections, cingulum bundle lesions typically produce only mild deficits, highlighting the importance of parallel pathways and the distributed nature of its various functions. Meanwhile, non-invasive imaging implicates the cingulum bundle in executive control, emotion, pain (dorsal cingulum), and episodic memory (parahippocampal cingulum), while clinical studies reveal cingulum abnormalities in numerous conditions, including schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's disease. Understanding the seemingly diverse contributions of the cingulum will require better ways of isolating pathways within this highly complex tract.
Topics: Animals; Brain Injuries; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated; Neuropsychological Tests; White Matter
PubMed: 29753752
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.008 -
Brain : a Journal of Neurology Jan 2014The posterior cingulate cortex is a highly connected and metabolically active brain region. Recent studies suggest it has an important cognitive role, although there is... (Review)
Review
The posterior cingulate cortex is a highly connected and metabolically active brain region. Recent studies suggest it has an important cognitive role, although there is no consensus about what this is. The region is typically discussed as having a unitary function because of a common pattern of relative deactivation observed during attentionally demanding tasks. One influential hypothesis is that the posterior cingulate cortex has a central role in supporting internally-directed cognition. It is a key node in the default mode network and shows increased activity when individuals retrieve autobiographical memories or plan for the future, as well as during unconstrained 'rest' when activity in the brain is 'free-wheeling'. However, other evidence suggests that the region is highly heterogeneous and may play a direct role in regulating the focus of attention. In addition, its activity varies with arousal state and its interactions with other brain networks may be important for conscious awareness. Understanding posterior cingulate cortex function is likely to be of clinical importance. It is well protected against ischaemic stroke, and so there is relatively little neuropsychological data about the consequences of focal lesions. However, in other conditions abnormalities in the region are clearly linked to disease. For example, amyloid deposition and reduced metabolism is seen early in Alzheimer's disease. Functional neuroimaging studies show abnormalities in a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, autism, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as ageing. Our own work has consistently shown abnormal posterior cingulate cortex function following traumatic brain injury, which predicts attentional impairments. Here we review the anatomy and physiology of the region and how it is affected in a range of clinical conditions, before discussing its proposed functions. We synthesize key findings into a novel model of the region's function (the 'Arousal, Balance and Breadth of Attention' model). Dorsal and ventral subcomponents are functionally separated and differences in regional activity are explained by considering: (i) arousal state; (ii) whether attention is focused internally or externally; and (iii) the breadth of attentional focus. The predictions of the model can be tested within the framework of complex dynamic systems theory, and we propose that the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex influences attentional focus by 'tuning' whole-brain metastability and so adjusts how stable brain network activity is over time.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Autistic Disorder; Brain Injuries; Cognition; Depression; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Nerve Net; Nervous System Diseases; Neural Pathways; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Primates; Schizophrenia
PubMed: 23869106
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awt162 -
Neuron Mar 2005Treatment-resistant depression is a severely disabling disorder with no proven treatment options once multiple medications, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Treatment-resistant depression is a severely disabling disorder with no proven treatment options once multiple medications, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy have failed. Based on our preliminary observation that the subgenual cingulate region (Brodmann area 25) is metabolically overactive in treatment-resistant depression, we studied whether the application of chronic deep brain stimulation to modulate BA25 could reduce this elevated activity and produce clinical benefit in six patients with refractory depression. Chronic stimulation of white matter tracts adjacent to the subgenual cingulate gyrus was associated with a striking and sustained remission of depression in four of six patients. Antidepressant effects were associated with a marked reduction in local cerebral blood flow as well as changes in downstream limbic and cortical sites, measured using positron emission tomography. These results suggest that disrupting focal pathological activity in limbic-cortical circuits using electrical stimulation of the subgenual cingulate white matter can effectively reverse symptoms in otherwise treatment-resistant depression.
Topics: Adult; Deep Brain Stimulation; Depressive Disorder, Major; Female; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects; Positron-Emission Tomography; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
PubMed: 15748841
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2005.02.014 -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Jul 2019Contextual fear memory becomes less context-specific over time, a phenomenon referred to as contextual fear generalization. Overgeneralization of contextual fear memory...
Contextual fear memory becomes less context-specific over time, a phenomenon referred to as contextual fear generalization. Overgeneralization of contextual fear memory is a core symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but circuit mechanisms underlying the generalization remain unclear. We show here that neural projections from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to ventral hippocampus (vHPC) mediate contextual fear generalization in male mice. Retrieval of contextual fear in a novel context at a remote time point activated cells in the ACC and vHPC, as indicated by significantly increased C-fos cells. Using chemogenetic or photogenetic manipulations, we observed that silencing the activity of ACC or vHPC neurons reduced contextual fear generalization at the remote time point, whereas stimulating the activity of ACC or vHPC neurons facilitated contextual fear generalization at a recent time point. We found that ACC neurons projected to the vHPC unidirectionally, and importantly, silencing the activity of projection fibers from the ACC to vHPC inhibited contextual fear generalization at the remote time point. Together, our findings reveal an ACC to vHPC circuit that controls expression of fear generalization and may offer new strategies to prevent or reverse contextual fear generalization in subjects with anxiety disorders, especially in PTSD. Overgeneralization of contextual fear memory is a cardinal feature of PTSD, but circuit mechanisms underlying it remain unclear. Our study indicates that neural projections from the anterior cingulate cortex to ventral hippocampus control the expression of contextual fear generalization. Thus, manipulating the circuit may prevent or reverse fear overgeneralization in subjects with PTSD.
Topics: Animals; Conditioning, Psychological; Fear; Gyrus Cinguli; Hippocampus; Locomotion; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nerve Net
PubMed: 31097621
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2739-18.2019 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Sep 2018Studies in the field of social neuroscience have recently made use of computational models of decision-making to provide new insights into how we learn about the self... (Review)
Review
Studies in the field of social neuroscience have recently made use of computational models of decision-making to provide new insights into how we learn about the self and others during social interactions. Importantly, these studies have increasingly drawn attention to brain areas outside of classical cortical "social brain" regions that may be critical for social processing. In particular, two portions of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC), subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex, have been linked to social and self learning signals, respectively. Here we discuss the emerging parallels between these studies. Uncovering the function of vACC during social interactions could provide important new avenues to understand social decision-making in health and disease.
Topics: Brain Mapping; Decision Making; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Interpersonal Relations
PubMed: 29886177
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.030 -
Cell Reports May 2023Persistent pain is a prevalent medical concern correlating with a hyperexcitable anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Its activity is modulated by inputs from several brain...
Persistent pain is a prevalent medical concern correlating with a hyperexcitable anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Its activity is modulated by inputs from several brain regions, but the maladjustments that these afferent circuits undergo during the transition from acute to chronic pain still require clarification. We focus on ACC-projecting claustrum (CLA) neurons and their responses to sensory and aversive stimuli in a mouse model of inflammatory pain. Using chemogenetics, in vivo calcium imaging, and ex vivo electrophysiological approaches, we reveal that suppression of CLA activity acutely attenuates allodynia and that the claustrum preferentially transmits aversive information to the ACC. With prolonged pain, a claustro-cingulate functional impairment develops, which is mediated by a weakened excitatory drive onto ACC pyramidal neurons, resulting in a diminished claustral influence on the ACC. These findings support an instrumental role of the claustrum in the processing of nociceptive information and its susceptibility to persistent pain states.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Gyrus Cinguli; Neurons; Chronic Pain; Hyperalgesia
PubMed: 37182208
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112506 -
Neuron May 2016The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is implicated in a broad range of behaviors and cognitive processes, but it has been unclear what contribution, if any, the ACC makes... (Review)
Review
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is implicated in a broad range of behaviors and cognitive processes, but it has been unclear what contribution, if any, the ACC makes to social behavior. We argue that anatomical and functional evidence suggests that a specific sub-region of ACC-in the gyrus (ACCg)-plays a crucial role in processing social information. We propose that the computational properties of the ACCg support a contribution to social cognition by estimating how motivated other individuals are and dynamically updating those estimates when further evidence suggests they have been erroneous. Notably this model, based on vicarious motivation and error processing, provides a unified account of neurophysiological and neuroimaging evidence that the ACCg is sensitive to costs, benefits, and errors during social interactions. Furthermore, it makes specific, testable predictions about a key mechanism that may underpin variability in socio-cognitive abilities in health and disease.
Topics: Animals; Brain Mapping; Cognition; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Motivation; Neuroimaging; Social Behavior
PubMed: 27196973
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.04.018 -
Neurosurgical Review Sep 2023Cingulate gyrus gliomas are rare among adult, hemispheric diffuse gliomas. Surgical reports are scarce. We performed a systematic review of the literature and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Cingulate gyrus gliomas are rare among adult, hemispheric diffuse gliomas. Surgical reports are scarce. We performed a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis, with the aim of focusing on the extent of resection (EOR), WHO grade, and morbidity and mortality, after microsurgical resection of gliomas of the cingulate gyrus. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we reviewed articles published between January 1996 and December 2022 and referenced in PubMed or Embase. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed clinical studies of microsurgical series reporting resection of gliomas of the cingulate gyrus. Primary outcome was EOR, classified as gross total (GTR) versus subtotal (STR) resection. Five studies reporting 295 patients were included. Overall GTR was 79.4% (range 64.1-94.7; I= 88.13; p heterogeneity and p < 0.001), while STR was done in 20.6% (range 5.3-35.9; I= 88.13; p heterogeneity < 0.001 and p= 0.008). The most common WHO grade was II, with an overall rate of 42.7% (24-61.5; I= 90.9; p heterogeneity, p< 0.001). Postoperative SMA syndrome was seen in 18.6% of patients (10.4-26.8; I2= 70.8; p heterogeneity= 0.008, p< 0.001), postoperative motor deficit in 11% (3.9-18; I= 18; p heterogeneity= 0.003, p= 0.002). This review found that while a GTR was achieved in a high number of patients with a cingulate glioma, nearly half of such patients have a postoperative deficit. This finding calls for a cautious approach in recommending and doing surgery for patients with cingulate gliomas and for consideration of new surgical and management approaches.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Gyrus Cinguli; Glioma; Postoperative Period; Syndrome
PubMed: 37656287
DOI: 10.1007/s10143-023-02127-9 -
Annals of Clinical and Translational... Dec 2023We aimed to reveal the role of structural and functional alterations of cingulate gyrus in early cognitive impairment in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to reveal the role of structural and functional alterations of cingulate gyrus in early cognitive impairment in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.
METHODS
Fifty-six T2DM patients and 60 healthy controls (HCs) underwent a neuropsychological assessment and sagittal three-dimensional T1-weighted and resting-state functional MRI. Differences in the cortical thickness of the cingulate cortex and the functional connectivity (FC) of the nine subregions of the cingulate gyrus and the whole brain were compared between T2DM patients and HCs. Correlation analysis was performed between cortex thickness and FC and the participants' clinical/cognitive variables.
RESULTS
The cortical thickness of the cingulate gyrus was not significantly different between T2DM patients and HCs. However, the T2DM patients showed significantly lower FC between the pregenual ACC (pACC) and the bilateral hippocampus, significantly higher FC between the pACC and bilateral lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and left precentral gyrus, and significantly lower FC between the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) and right cerebellar Crus I. The FC between the pACC and the left hippocampus was negatively correlated with the FC between the pACC and LPFC (r = -0.306, p = 0.022).
INTERPRETATION
The pACC and the RSC show dysfunctional connectivity before the appearance of structural abnormalities in T2DM patients. Abnormal FC of the pACC with the bilateral hippocampus and LPFC may imply a neural compensatory mechanism for memory function. These findings provide valuable information and new directions for possible interventions for the T2DM-related cognitive impairment.
Topics: Humans; Gyrus Cinguli; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Brain; Prefrontal Cortex; Agenesis of Corpus Callosum
PubMed: 37822294
DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51918 -
European Archives of Psychiatry and... Oct 2022Schizophrenia has been associated with structural brain abnormalities and cognitive deficits that partly change during the course of illness. In the present study,...
Schizophrenia has been associated with structural brain abnormalities and cognitive deficits that partly change during the course of illness. In the present study, cortical thickness in five subregions of the cingulate gyrus was assessed in 44 patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and 47 control persons and related to illness duration and memory capacities. In the patients group, cortical thickness was increased in the posterior part of the cingulate gyrus and related to illness duration whereas cortical thickness was decreased in anterior parts unrelated to illness duration. In contrast, cortical thickness was related to episodic and working memory performance only in the anterior but not posterior parts of the cingulate gyrus. Our finding of a posterior cingulate increase may point to either increased parietal communication that is accompanied by augmented neural plasticity or to effects of altered neurodegenerative processes in schizophrenia.
Topics: Cognition; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Memory, Short-Term; Schizophrenia
PubMed: 34997853
DOI: 10.1007/s00406-021-01369-2