Previous studies of the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) have focused on its role in navigation and memory, consistent with its well-established medial temporal connections, but recent evidence also suggests a role for this region in reward and decision making. Because function is determined largely by anatomical connections, and to better understand the anatomy of RSC, we used tract-tracing methods to examine the anatomical connectivity between the rat RSC and frontostriatal networks (canonical reward and decision-making circuits). We find that, among frontal cortical regions, RSC bidirectionally connects most strongly with the ACC, but also with an area of the central–medial orbito-frontal cortex. RSC projects to the dorsomedial striatum, and its terminal fields are virtually encompassed by the frontal-striatal projection zone, suggestive of functional convergence through the basal ganglia. This overlap is driven by ACC, prelimbic cortex, and orbito-frontal cortex, all of which contribute to goal-directed decision making, suggesting that the RSC is involved in similar processes.

先前对压后皮层 (RSC) 的研究主要集中在其在导航和记忆中的作用，这与其已确立的内侧颞叶连接一致，但最近的证据也表明该区域在奖励和决策制定中的作用。因为功能主要由解剖连接决定，为了更好地理解 RSC 的解剖结构，我们使用束追踪方法来检查大鼠 RSC 和额纹状体网络（典型奖励和决策回路）之间的解剖连接。我们发现，在额叶皮层区域中，RSC 与 ACC 双向连接最紧密，但也与中央-内侧眶额皮质区域连接最紧密。RSC 投射到背内侧纹状体，其末端区域实际上被额纹状体投射区包围，提示通过基底节的功能会聚。这种重叠是由 ACC、边缘前皮层和眶额皮层驱动的，所有这些都有助于目标导向的决策制定，表明 RSC 参与了类似的过程。