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Rostral gyrus

The rostral gyrus is a cortical gyrus on the medial surface of the frontal lobe, bounded superiorly by the cingulate sulcus and inferiorly by the rostral sulcus, lying anterior to the anterior paraolfactory sulcus and continuous anteriorly with the inferior frontopolar gyrus that forms part of the frontal pole.

Location (anatomical borders)
On the medial surface of the frontal lobe:

  • Superior boundary: Inferior portion of the cingulate sulcus

  • Inferior boundary: Rostral sulcus

  • Posterior limit: Anterior paraolfactory sulcus, separating it from the subcallosal area

  • Anterior continuation: Becomes the inferior frontopolar gyrus, which forms the frontal pole

  • It can be divided into superior and inferior rostral gyri. 

Function of the Rostral Gyrus  
The rostral gyrus is involved in emotion and behaviour regulation. It helps integrate emotional states with decision-making, supports motivation and goal-directed behaviour, and contributes to self-related and social thinking (judging one’s own actions and understanding others). Through its connections with limbic and autonomic centres, it can also influence autonomic responses such as heart rate and other stress-related reactions.

MRI appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Normal rostral gyrus: Cortical gray matter with intermediate signal intensity

  • Clear gray–white matter differentiation

  • Subcortical white matter: Slightly higher signal than cortex

T2-weighted images:

  • Normal cortex: Mildly hyperintense relative to white matter

FLAIR:

  • Normal: Cortex slightly hyperintense with suppressed CSF in olfactory sulcus

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI):

  • Normal: No diffusion restriction

Post-contrast T1-weighted images:

  • Normal: Minimal or no enhancement

CT appearance

Non-contrast CT:

  • Normal: Gray–white matter differentiation preserved

Post-contrast CT:

  • Normal: No significant enhancement

MRI images

MRI rostral gyrus coronal anatomy image -img-00000-00000

MRI images

MRI rostral gyrus sag anatomy image -img-00000-00000