Connections of the Monkey Cingulate Cortex

Among several nineteenth century reports on the cortical convolution located above the corpus callosum, it was Burdach’s (1822) description that gave rise to the term cingulate gyrus. Early attempts to address the functional implications of the cingulate region were based primarily on limited neuro-anatomical observations and a host of gross comparative anatomical parallels. The most popular functional theory was formulated by Broca (1878), who suggested that the modality of olfaction was processed in a number of cerebral centers which included the anterior olfactory region, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus. Collectively Broca termed these cerebral centers the grand lobe limbique. The cingulate gyrus was later shown to have extensive connections with the anterior thalamic nuclei (Clarke and Boggon, 1933).