Hemispheric and gender-related differences in the gross morphology of the anterior cingulate/paracingulate cortex in normal volunteers: An MRI morphometric study

Abstract

The sulci and gyri found within the anterior cingulate (AC), and across the cerebrum generally, have been found to vary in location and complexity from one individual to the next, making it difficult to analyze imaging data accurately and systematically. In this study, we examined the nature of morphometric variance in the AC of the left and right cerebral hemispheres using high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquired from 176 healthy volunteers. Depending on the presence of a paracingulate sulcus (PCS) and its antero-posterior extent, three types of AC patterns were identified: 'prominent', 'present' and 'absent'. Hemispheric comparisons across the whole sample showe..