THE ROLE OF THE CINGULATE CORTEX IN WORKING MEMORY, A LITERATURE REVIEW

The cingulate cortex is responsible for being involved in cognitive functions such as attention and memory. Physiologically, this region receives and sends information through afferent and efferent pathways, respectively via the thalamus and parahippocampal gyrus. Working memory is a topic of significance for study, as it guides daily activities and human cognition. It is important to note that there are various types of memory, classified based on types and subtypes, but two definitions are particularly relevant. These are the nature of memory, which is subdivided into declarative (storing explicit knowledge) and non-declarative or procedural (responsible for memorizing implicit content); and the time of information retention, which has three types of memory classifications: operational, short-term, and long-term. The occurrence of deficits that compromise these functions directly impacts the individual's quality of life. This study is a narrative literature review, which investigated through the DeCS/MeSH descriptors "cingulate cortex," "memory," and "neural pathways." The cingulate cortex, located in the limbic lobe, is involved in action, emotion, and memory. It is present in a region composed of structures responsible for various functions, such as the hippocampus, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, playing distinct roles in its anterior and posterior anatomical portions. The former is related to reward neural circuits and subsequent emotions, while the latter establishes, through circuits connecting the mentioned areas and structures, a connection with memory. The cingulate cortex appears to be directly linked to cognitive activities, emotional control, influence on psychiatric disorders, and seems to have a direct impact on working memory. It is important to emphasize that this structure showed a functional association with the frontal gyrus and parietal lobe; therefore, it is still not clear which structures independently perform each action.