What does the retrosplenial cortex do?

SD Vann, JP Aggleton, EA Maguire - Nature reviews neuroscience, 2009 - nature.com
SD Vann, JP Aggleton, EA Maguire
Nature reviews neuroscience, 2009nature.com
The past decade has seen a transformation in research on the retrosplenial cortex (RSC).
This cortical area has emerged as a key member of a core network of brain regions that
underpins a range of cognitive functions, including episodic memory, navigation,
imagination and planning for the future. It is now also evident that the RSC is consistently
compromised in the most common neurological disorders that impair memory. Here we
review advances on multiple fronts, most notably in neuroanatomy, animal studies and …
Abstract
The past decade has seen a transformation in research on the retrosplenial cortex (RSC). This cortical area has emerged as a key member of a core network of brain regions that underpins a range of cognitive functions, including episodic memory, navigation, imagination and planning for the future. It is now also evident that the RSC is consistently compromised in the most common neurological disorders that impair memory. Here we review advances on multiple fronts, most notably in neuroanatomy, animal studies and neuroimaging, that have highlighted the importance of the RSC for cognition, and consider why specifying its precise functions remains problematic.
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