Cingulum (brain)

Cingulum
Medial surface of right cerebral hemisphere. Some of major association tracts are depicted. Cingulum is at center, in red.
Diffusion tensor tractography of cingulum (blue).
Details
Identifiers
Latin	Cingulum
NeuroNames	ancil-541
Dorlands /Elsevier	c_35/12240480
TA	A14.1.09.555
FMA	260761
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy []

In neuroanatomy, the cingulum is a collection of white matter fibers projecting from the cingulate gyrus to the entorhinal cortex in the brain, allowing for communication between components of the limbic system. It forms the white matter core of the cingulate gyrus, following it from the subcallosal gyrus of the frontal lobe beneath the rostrum of corpus callosum to the parahippocampal gyrus and uncus of the temporal lobe.

Neurons of the cingulum receive afferent fibers from the parts of the thalamus that are associated with the spinothalamic tract. This, in addition to the fact that the cingulum is a central structure in learning to correct mistakes, indicates that the cingulum is involved in appraisal of pain and reinforcement of behavior that reduces it.

Cingulotomy, the surgical severing of the anterior cingulum, is a form of psychosurgery used to treat depression and OCD.

The cingulum was one of the earliest identified brain structures.

The cingulum is described from various brain images as a C shaped structure within the brain that wraps around the frontal lobe to the temporal lobe right above the corpus callosum. It is located beneath the cingulate gyrus within the medial surface of the brain therefore encircling the entire brain. There are two primary parts of the cingulate cortex: the posterior cingulate cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex. The anterior is linked to emotion, especially apathy and depression. Here function and structure changes are related meaning any change within this structure would lead to a function change, particularly behavioral because of its function involving emotions. Damage to this area can have various effects on mental disorders and mental health. The posterior section is more related to cognitive functions. This can include attention, visual and spatial skills, working memory and general memory. Because of its location, the cingulum is very important to brain structure connectivity and the integration of information that it receives.