The paralimbic cortex is an area of three-layered cortex that includes the following regions: the piriform cortex,

entorhinal cortex The entorhinal cortex (EC) is an area of the brain's allocortex, located in the medial temporal lobe, whose functions include being a widespread network hub for memory, navigation, and the perception of time.Integrating time from experience in ...

, the

parahippocampal cortex The parahippocampal gyrus (or hippocampal gyrus') is a grey matter cortical region of the brain that surrounds the hippocampus and is part of the limbic system. The region plays an important role in memory encoding and retrieval. It has been ...

on the

medial Medial may refer to: Mathematics * Medial magma, a mathematical identity in algebra Geometry * Medial axis, in geometry the set of all points having more than one closest point on an object's boundary * Medial graph, another graph that re ...

surface of the

temporal lobe The temporal lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals. The temporal lobe is located beneath the lateral fissure on both cerebral hemispheres of the mammalian brain. The temporal lobe is involved in proc ...

, and the cingulate cortex just above the

corpus callosum The corpus callosum (Latin for "tough body"), also callosal commissure, is a wide, thick nerve tract, consisting of a flat bundle of commissural fibers, beneath the cerebral cortex in the brain. The corpus callosum is only found in placental ...

.Kolb & Whishaw: ''Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology'', 2003. The paralimbic cortex lies close to, and is directly connected with, the structures of the

limbic system The limbic system, also known as the paleomammalian cortex, is a set of brain structures located on both sides of the thalamus, immediately beneath the medial temporal lobe of the cerebrum primarily in the forebrain.Schacter, Daniel L. 2012. ' ...

. (The prefix ''para'' meaning beside or adjacent to.) The paralimbic cortex, also referred to as the mesocortex, or juxtallocortex, is interposed between the

neocortex The neocortex, also called the neopallium, isocortex, or the six-layered cortex, is a set of layers of the mammalian cerebral cortex involved in higher-order brain functions such as sensory perception, cognition, generation of motor commands, ...

and the allocortex. The paralimbic cortex provides a gradual transition from primary limbic regions, including the septal region, substantia innominata, and the

amygdala The amygdala (; plural: amygdalae or amygdalas; also '; Latin from Greek, , ', 'almond', 'tonsil') is one of two almond-shaped clusters of nuclei located deep and medially within the temporal lobes of the brain's cerebrum in complex v ...

nuclei, to higher neocortical regions. There are dense connections between the paralimbic cortex and core limbic structures, in particular the amygdala. The amygdaloid complex comprises both nuclear and cortical layers. These cortical features of the amygdala often extend into the paralimbic areas, blurring the boundaries between limbic and paralimbic regions. Thus, these regions may collectively be termed the ‘paralimbic system’. It is

cytoarchitecturally Cytoarchitecture (Ancient Greek language, Greek ''wiktionary:κύτος#Ancient_Greek, κύτος''= "cell" + ''wiktionary:ἀρχιτέκτων#Ancient_Greek, ἀρχιτεκτονική''= "architecture"), also known as cytoarchitectonics, is th ...

defined: it has three layers, where layers 2, 3 and 4 are merged, and is intermediate in form between the allocortex (less than six layers) and the neocortex (six distinct layers). It is found within the

, representing the border between neocortical and allocortical parts. It has been hypothesized that the cortex should be viewed as concentric rings of allocortex, mesocortex (paralimbic cortex), and isocortex (neocortex).Reep R. Relationship between prefrontal and limbic cortex: a comparative anatomical review. Brain Behav Evol. 1984;25(1):5-80.

Functions

The paralimbic cortex serves as a transitional region between the neocortex and the allocortex incorporating a region of proisocortex, as a subdivision of the neocortex, and a region of periallocortex, as a subdivision of the allocortex. It constitutes a group of interconnecting brain structures that are involved in the functions of emotion processing, goal setting,

motivation Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate, continue, or terminate a behavior at a given time. Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-dire ...

and

self-control Self-control, an aspect of inhibitory control, is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. As an executive function, it is a cognitive process that is necessary for regulating one' ...

References

Hippocampus (brain) Cerebral cortex {{Neuroanatomy-stub

Functions

See also

References