The parahippocampal gyrus is a fold of grey-matter cortex on the inner underside of each temporal lobe that surrounds the hippocampus. It is part of the limbic system and plays an important role in encoding and retrieving memories. [1]
The 3D brain needs JavaScript. The text below still says where the parahippocampal gyrus is and what it does.
Slice
Opens cut by a front (coronal) slice through the parahippocampal gyrus. Drag to turn, pinch or scroll to zoom, tap any part to name it; .
Takes part in: memory, smell — see every part of each lit together.
Where it is
A cortical gyrus that surrounds the hippocampus, on the medial (inner) side of the temporal lobe. [1]
On its outer side the collateral sulcus separates it from the fusiform gyrus. [2]
Its front part includes the entorhinal and perirhinal cortices. [1]
What it does
It plays an important role in encoding and retrieving memories. [1]
Its parahippocampal place area (PPA) becomes highly active when people look at scenes such as landscapes, cityscapes or rooms, and takes part in encoding and recognising places rather than faces. [1]
The entorhinal cortex in its front part is a hub for memory, navigation and the perception of time. [3]
Research suggests the right parahippocampal gyrus also helps read social context in speech, such as detecting sarcasm. [1]
Connections
The entorhinal cortex is the main interface between the hippocampus and the neocortex: much of what reaches the hippocampus from the rest of the cortex passes through it. [3]
The parahippocampal place area lies medial to the fusiform face area, its face-responsive neighbour on the fusiform gyrus. [4]
Inside it
“Parahippocampal cortex” is used for an area covering the back of the parahippocampal gyrus and the medial part of the fusiform gyrus, so it is not the same as the whole gyrus. [1]
Other names
Hippocampal gyrus; its front, hook-shaped end is called the uncus. [1][5]
Size
On this model the left parahippocampal gyrus measures about 49 mm front to back, 22 mm top to bottom and 21 mm side to side (the box it fits in, not its volume); the right one is its mirror image. [6]
Centre of the left parahippocampal gyrus compared with the centre of the left hippocampus: 6 mm lower, 8 mm closer to the midline; 10 mm apart in a straight line. [6]
Centre of the left parahippocampal gyrus compared with the centre of the left fusiform gyrus: 5 mm further back, 4 mm higher, 9 mm closer to the midline; 11 mm apart in a straight line. [6]
Facts describe anatomy and normal function only. The 3D model is the adult male BodyParts3D brain (credits and licence); real brains vary in size and shape, so its measurements describe one model, not anyone’s brain.