TY - CHAP
T1 - The posterior cingulate cortex
T2 - Insights from structure and function
AU - Leech, Robert
AU - Smallwood, Jonathan
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) (Brodmann areas 23/31) is one of the least well-understood regions of the cortex. The PCC has very high levels of metabolic consumption, and network analyses of functional and structural data suggest it is a core hub in the human connectome; however, contemporary neuroscience lacks a clear account of its functional significance. Consequently, many studies over the last decade have focused on understanding the role this region plays in cognition, particularly given its apparent tendency to deactivate during demanding external tasks. Consistent with the cytoarchitecture, recent work, leveraging complex analytical approaches, highlight that the connections the PCC forms with other regions are heterogeneous, going beyond a single network, while recent studies of its function highlight a role in a wide range of complex forms of cognition including memory, navigation, and narrative comprehension. This constellation of observations highlights a role for PCC in a set of cognitive processes that are supported by internal representations but may lack a common type of representational content. Together, these structural and functional studies contribute to an emerging view of the PCC as contributing to how cognition unfolds rather than what it is focused on.
AB - The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) (Brodmann areas 23/31) is one of the least well-understood regions of the cortex. The PCC has very high levels of metabolic consumption, and network analyses of functional and structural data suggest it is a core hub in the human connectome; however, contemporary neuroscience lacks a clear account of its functional significance. Consequently, many studies over the last decade have focused on understanding the role this region plays in cognition, particularly given its apparent tendency to deactivate during demanding external tasks. Consistent with the cytoarchitecture, recent work, leveraging complex analytical approaches, highlight that the connections the PCC forms with other regions are heterogeneous, going beyond a single network, while recent studies of its function highlight a role in a wide range of complex forms of cognition including memory, navigation, and narrative comprehension. This constellation of observations highlights a role for PCC in a set of cognitive processes that are supported by internal representations but may lack a common type of representational content. Together, these structural and functional studies contribute to an emerging view of the PCC as contributing to how cognition unfolds rather than what it is focused on.
KW - Default mode network
KW - Neural dynamics
KW - Posterior cingulate cortex
KW - Representations
KW - Task negative
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074657394&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/B978-0-444-64196-0.00005-4
DO - 10.1016/B978-0-444-64196-0.00005-4
M3 - Chapter
C2 - 31731926
AN - SCOPUS:85074657394
T3 - Handbook of Clinical Neurology
SP - 73
EP - 85
BT - Handbook of Clinical Neurology
PB - Elsevier B.V.
ER -