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Reference.org
Posterior cingulate cortex
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<p>The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is the caudal part of the <a href="/facts/Cingulate_cortex/Eerbtdvr">cingulate cortex</a>, located posterior to the <a href="/facts/Anterior_cingulate_cortex/gMBsA5EJ">anterior cingulate cortex</a>. This is the upper part of the "<a href="/facts/Limbic_lobe/nJu2sFz6">limbic lobe</a>". The cingulate cortex is made up of an area around the midline of the <a href="/facts/Brain/EKla9NkJ">brain</a>. Surrounding areas include the <a href="/facts/Retrosplenial_cortex/Xo6T4dTW">retrosplenial cortex</a> and the <a href="/facts/Precuneus/U1HaykRB">precuneus</a>. </p><p><a href="/facts/Cytoarchitectonics/npnsdK3T">Cytoarchitectonically</a> the posterior cingulate cortex is associated with <a href="/facts/Brodmann_area/10REhWjz">Brodmann areas</a> <a href="/facts/Brodmann_area_23/8nEomANT">23</a> and <a href="/facts/Brodmann_area_31/V49874Wd">31</a>. </p><p>The PCC forms a central node in the <a href="/facts/Default_mode_network/tTSIt9RB">default mode network</a> of the brain. It has been shown to communicate with various brain networks simultaneously and is involved in diverse functions. Along with the precuneus, the PCC has been implicated as a neural substrate for human awareness in numerous studies of both the anesthetized and vegetative (coma) states. Imaging studies indicate a prominent role for the PCC in pain and episodic memory retrieval. Increased size of the ventral PCC is related to a decline in <a href="/facts/Working_memory/kzeDD3KQ">working memory</a> performance. The PCC has also been strongly implicated as a key part of several intrinsic control networks. </p>