Frontal lobe - wikipedia Frontal lobe Frontal lobe Principal fissures and lobes of the cerebrum viewed laterally. ( Frontal lobe is shown in pale green. ) Details Part of Cerebrum Artery Anterior cerebral Middle cerebral Identifiers Latin Lobus Frontalis Acronym ( s ) FL MeSH D005625 NeuroNames 56 NeuroLex ID birnlex_928 TA A14. 1.09. 110 FMA 61824 Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy ( edit on Wikidata ) Not to be confused with Prefrontal cortex. The frontal lobe, located at the front of the brain, is the largest of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the mammalian brain. The frontal lobe is located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere ( in front of the parietal lobe and the temporal lobe ). It is separated from the parietal lobe by a groove between tissues called the central sulcus, and from the temporal lobe by a deeper groove called the lateral sulcus ( Sylvian fissure ). The most anterior rounded part of the frontal lobe ( though not well - defined ) is known as the frontal pole, one of the three poles of the cerebrum. The precentral gyrus, a portion of the frontal lobe directly anterior to the central sulcus, contains the primary motor cortex, which controls voluntary movements of specific body parts. The frontal lobe contains most of the dopamine - sensitive neurons in the cerebral cortex. The dopaminergic system is associated with reward, attention, short - term memory tasks, planning, and motivation. Dopamine tends to limit and select sensory information arriving from the thalamus to the forebrain. Contents 1 Structure 2 Function 3 Clinical significance 3.1 Damage 3.1. 1 Symptoms 3.2 Genetic 4 History 4.1 Psychosurgery 4.2 Theories of function 5 In other animals 6 Additional images 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Structure Animation. Frontal lobe ( red ) of left cerebral hemisphere. On the lateral surface of the human brain, the central sulcus separates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe. The lateral sulcus separates the frontal lobe from the temporal lobe. The frontal lobe can be divided into a lateral, polar, orbital ( above the orbit ; also called basal or ventral ), and medial part. Each of these parts consists of a particular gyrus : Lateral part : lateral part of the superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus. Polar part : Transverse frontopolar gyri, frontomarginal gyrus. Orbital part : Lateral orbital gyrus, anterior orbital gyrus, posterior orbital gyrus, medial orbital gyrus, gyrus rectus. Medial part : Medial part of the superior frontal gyrus, cingulate gyrus. The gyri are separated by sulci. E.g., the precentral gyrus is in front of the central sulcus, and behind the precentral sulcus. The superior and middle frontal gyri are divided by the superior frontal sulcus. The middle and inferior frontal gyri are divided by the inferior frontal sulcus. In humans, the frontal lobe reaches full maturity around the late 20s, marking the cognitive maturity associated with adulthood. A small amount of atrophy, however, is normal in the aging person 's frontal lobe. Fjell, in 2009, studied atrophy of the brain in people aged 60 -- 91 years. The 142 healthy participants were scanned using MRI. Their results were compared to those of 122 participants with Alzheimer 's disease. A follow - up one year later showed there to have been a marked volumetric decline in those with Alzheimer 's and a much smaller decline ( averaging 0.5 % ) in the healthy group. These findings corroborate those of Coffey, who in 1992 indicated that the frontal lobe decreases in volume approximately 0.5 % -- 1 % per year. Function The frontal lobe plays a large role in voluntary movement. It houses the primary motor cortex which regulates activities like walking. The function of the frontal lobe involves the ability to project future consequences resulting from current actions, the choice between good and bad actions ( or better and best ) ( also known as conscience ), the override and suppression of socially unacceptable responses, and the determination of similarities and differences between things or events. The frontal lobe also plays an important part in integrating longer non-task based memories stored across the brain. These are often memories associated with emotions derived from input from the brain 's limbic system. The frontal lobe modifies those emotions to generally fit socially acceptable norms. Psychological tests that measure frontal lobe function include finger tapping ( as the frontal lobe controls voluntary movement ), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and measures of language and numeracy skills. Clinical significance Damage How damage to the frontal lobe can occur in a number of ways and result in many different consequences. Transient ischemic attacks ( TIAs ) also known as mini-strokes, and strokes are common causes of frontal lobe damage in older adults ( 65 and over ). These strokes and mini-strokes can occur due to the blockage of blood flow to the brain or as a result of the rupturing of an aneurysm in a cerebral artery. Other ways in which injury can occur include head injuries such as traumatic brain injuries incurred following accidents, diagnoses such as Alzheimer 's disease or Parkinson 's disease ( which cause dementia symptoms ), and frontal lobe epilepsy ( which can occur at any age ). Symptoms Common effects of damage to the frontal lobe are varied. Patients who have experienced frontal lobe trauma may know the appropriate response to a situation but display inappropriate responses to those same situations in `` real life ''. Similarly, emotions that are felt may not be expressed in the face or voice. For example, someone who is feeling happy would not smile, and his or her voice would be devoid of emotion. Along the same lines, though, the person may also exhibit excessive, unwarranted displays of emotion. Depression is common in stroke patients ; it affects a great number of those who have experienced one. Also common along with depression is a loss of or decrease in motivation. Someone might not want to carry out normal daily activities and would not feel `` up to it ''. Those who are close to the person who has experienced the damage may notice that the person no longer behaves like him or herself. This personality change is characteristic of damage to the frontal lobe and was exemplified in the case of Phineas Gage. The frontal lobe is the same part of the brain that is responsible for executive functions such as planning for the future, judgement, decision - making skills, attention span, and inhibition. These functions can decrease drastically in someone whose frontal lobe is damaged. Consequences that are seen less frequently are also varied. Confabulation may be the most frequently indicated `` less common '' effect. In the case of confabulation, someone gives false information while maintaining the belief that it is the truth ; he or she can not remember the accurate information. In a small number of patients, uncharacteristic cheerfulness can be noted. This effect is seen mostly in patients with lesions to the right frontal portion of the brain. Another infrequent effect is that of reduplicative paramnesia, in which patients believe that the location in which they currently reside is a replica of one located somewhere else. Similarly, those who experience Capgras syndrome after frontal lobe damage believe that an identical `` replacement '' has taken the identity of a close friend, relative, or other person and is posing as that person. This last effect is seen mostly in schizophrenic patients who also have a neurological disorder in the frontal lobe. Genetic A report from the National Institute of Mental Health says a gene variant of ( COMT ) that reduces dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex is related to poorer performance and inefficient functioning of that brain region during working memory tasks, and to a slightly increased risk for schizophrenia. History Psychosurgery In the early 20th century, a medical treatment for mental illness, first developed by Portuguese neurologist Egas Moniz, involved damaging the pathways connecting the frontal lobe to the limbic system. Frontal lobotomy ( sometimes called frontal leucotomy ) successfully reduced distress but at the cost of often blunting the subject 's emotions, volition and personality. The indiscriminate use of this psychosurgical procedure, combined with its severe side effects and a mortality rate of 7.4 to 17 per cent, gained it a bad reputation. The frontal lobotomy has largely died out as a psychiatric treatment. More precise psychosurgical procedures are still used, although rarely. They may include anterior capsulotomy ( bilateral thermal lesions of the anterior limbs of the internal capsule ) or the bilateral cingulotomy ( involving lesions of the anterior cingulate gyri ) and might be used to treat otherwise untreatable obsessional disorders or clinical depression. Theories of function Theories of frontal lobe function can be separated into four categories : Single - process theories, which propose that `` damage to a single process or system is responsible for a number of different dysexecutive symptoms '' Multi-process theories, which propose `` that the frontal lobe executive system consists of a number of components that typically work together in everyday actions ( heterogeneity of function ) '' Construct - led theories, which propose that `` most if not all frontal functions can be explained by one construct ( homogeneity of function ) such as working memory or inhibition '' Single - symptom theories, which propose that a specific dysexecutive symptom ( e.g., confabulation ) is related to the processes and construct of the underlying structures. Other theories include : Stuss ( 1999 ) suggests a differentiation into two categories according to homogeneity and heterogeneity of function. Grafman 's managerial knowledge units ( MKU ) / structured event complex ( SEC ) approach ( cf. Wood & Grafman, 2003 ) Miller & Cohen 's integrative theory of prefrontal functioning ( e.g. Miller & Cohen, 2001 ) Rolls 's stimulus - reward approach and Stuss 's anterior attentional functions ( Burgess & Simons, 2005 ; Burgess, 2003 ; Burke, 2007 ). It may be highlighted that the theories described above differ in their focus on certain processes / systems or construct - lets. Stuss ( 1999 ) remarks that the question of homogeneity ( single construct ) or heterogeneity ( multiple processes / systems ) of function `` may represent a problem of semantics and / or incomplete functional analysis rather than an unresolvable dichotomy '' ( p. 348 ). However, further research will show if a unified theory of frontal lobe function that fully accounts for the diversity of functions will be available. In other animals For many years, many scientists thought that the frontal lobe was disproportionately enlarged in humans compared to other primates. They thought that this was an important feature of human evolution and was the primary reason why human cognition differs from that of other primates. However, this view has been challenged by newer research. Using magnetic resonance imaging to determine the volume of the frontal cortex in humans, all extant ape species and several monkey species, Semendeferi et al. found that the human frontal cortex was not relatively larger than the cortex of other great apes but was relatively larger than the frontal cortex of lesser apes and the monkeys. Additional images Left frontal lobe ( click to view animation ) Lobes Base of brain. Human brain showing the four major lobes of the cerebrum. Beneath the cerebral cortex are the cerebellum, pons, olive, and medulla oblongata Drawing to illustrate the relations of the brain to the skull. Frontal lobe Frontal lobe Cerebrum. Inferior view. Deep dissection Ventricles of brain and basal ganglia. Superior view. Horizontal section. Deep dissection See also This article uses anatomical terminology ; for an overview, see Anatomical terminology. Broca 's area Limen insulae Regions in the human brain References Jump up ^ Muzio, Bruno Di. `` Frontal pole Radiology Reference Article Radiopaedia.org ''. radiopaedia.org. Jump up ^ Giedd JN, Blumenthal J, Jeffries NO, et al. ( October 1999 ). `` Brain development during childhood and adolescence : a longitudinal MRI study ''. Nature Neuroscience. 2 ( 10 ) : 861 -- 3. doi : 10.1038 / 13158. PMID 10491603. Jump up ^ Fjell AM, Walhovd KB, Fennema - Notestine C, et al. ( December 2009 ). `` One - year brain atrophy evident in healthy aging ''. The Journal of Neuroscience. 29 ( 48 ) : 15223 -- 31. doi : 10.1523 / JNEUROSCI. 3252 - 09.2009. PMC 2827793. PMID 19955375. Jump up ^ Coffey CE, Wilkinson WE, Parashos IA, et al. ( March 1992 ). `` Quantitative cerebral anatomy of the aging human brain : a cross-sectional study using magnetic resonance imaging ''. Neurology. 42 ( 3 Pt 1 ) : 527 -- 36. doi : 10.1212 / wnl. 42.3. 527. PMID 1549213. Jump up ^ Kimberg DY, Farah MJ ( December 1993 ). `` A unified account of cognitive impairments following frontal lobe damage : the role of working memory in complex, organized behavior ''. Journal of Experimental Psychology. General. 122 ( 4 ) : 411 -- 28. doi : 10.1037 / 0096 - 3445.122. 4.411. PMID 8263463. ^ Jump up to : Stuss DT, Gow CA, Hetherington CR ( June 1992 ). `` ' No longer Gage ' : frontal lobe dysfunction and emotional changes ''. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 60 ( 3 ) : 349 -- 59. doi : 10.1037 / 0022 - 006X. 60.3. 349. PMID 1619089. Jump up ^ Rowe AD, Bullock PR, Polkey CE, Morris RG ( March 2001 ). `` ' Theory of mind ' impairments and their relationship to executive functioning following frontal lobe excisions ''. Brain. 124 ( Pt 3 ) : 600 -- 16. doi : 10.1093 / brain / 124.3. 600. PMID 11222459. Jump up ^ Robinson RG, Kubos KL, Starr LB, Rao K, Price TR ( March 1984 ). `` Mood disorders in stroke patients. Importance of location of lesion ''. Brain. 107 ( 1 ) : 81 -- 93. doi : 10.1093 / brain / 107.1. 81. PMID 6697163. Jump up ^ Durani, Shiban K. ; Ford, Rodney ; Sajjad, S.H. ( September 1991 ). `` Capgras syndrome associated with a frontal lobe tumour ''. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine. 8 ( 2 ) : 135 -- 6. doi : 10.1017 / S0790966700015093. Jump up ^ `` Gene Slows Frontal Lobes, Boosts Schizophrenia Risk ''. National Institute of Mental Health. May 29, 2001. Archived from the original on 2015 - 04 - 04. Retrieved 2013 - 06 - 20. Jump up ^ Ogren K, Sandlund M ( 2007 ). `` Lobotomy at a state mental hospital in Sweden. A survey of patients operated on during the period 1947 - 1958 ''. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. 61 ( 5 ) : 355 -- 62. doi : 10.1080 / 08039480701643498. PMID 17990197. Jump up ^ ( Burgess, 2003, p. 309 ). Jump up ^ ( Burgess, 2003, p. 310 ). Jump up ^ ( Stuss, 1999, p. 348 ; cf. Burgess & Simons, 2005 ). Jump up ^ ( cf. Burgess & Simons, 2005 ). Jump up ^ Semendeferi K, Lu A, Schenker N, Damasio H ( March 2002 ). `` Humans and great apes share a large frontal cortex ''. Nature Neuroscience. 5 ( 3 ) : 272 -- 6. doi : 10.1038 / nn814. PMID 11850633. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frontal lobe. NIF Search - Frontal Lobe via the Neuroscience Information Framework Anatomy of the cerebral cortex of the human brain Frontal lobe Superolateral Prefrontal Superior frontal gyrus 6 8 Middle frontal gyrus 9 10 46 Inferior frontal gyrus : 11 47 - Pars orbitalis Broca 's area 44 - Pars opercularis 45 - Pars triangularis Superior frontal sulcus Inferior frontal sulcus Precentral Precentral gyrus Precentral sulcus Medial / inferior Prefrontal Superior frontal gyrus 6 Medial frontal gyrus 8 9 Paraterminal gyrus / Paraolfactory area 12 Straight gyrus 11 Orbital gyri / Orbitofrontal cortex 10 11 12 Ventromedial prefrontal cortex 10 Subcallosal area 25 Olfactory sulcus Orbital sulcus Precentral Paracentral lobule Paracentral sulcus Both Primary motor cortex Premotor cortex 6 Supplementary motor area 6 Supplementary eye field 6 Frontal eye fields 8 Parietal lobe Superolateral Superior parietal lobule 5 7 Inferior parietal lobule 40 - Supramarginal gyrus 39 - Angular gyrus Parietal operculum 43 Intraparietal sulcus Medial / inferior Paracentral lobule 5 Precuneus 7 Marginal sulcus Both Postcentral gyrus / Primary somatosensory cortex Secondary somatosensory cortex 5 Posterior parietal cortex 7 Occipital lobe Superolateral Occipital pole of cerebrum Lateral occipital gyrus 18 19 Lunate sulcus Transverse occipital sulcus Medial / inferior Visual cortex 17 Cuneus Lingual gyrus Calcarine sulcus Temporal lobe Superolateral Transverse temporal gyrus / Auditory cortex 41 42 Superior temporal gyrus 38 22 / Wernicke 's area Middle temporal gyrus 21 Superior temporal sulcus Medial / inferior Fusiform gyrus 37 Medial temporal lobe 27 28 34 35 36 Inferior temporal gyrus 20 Inferior temporal sulcus Interlobar sulci / fissures Superolateral Central ( frontal + parietal ) Lateral ( frontal + parietal + temporal ) Parieto - occipital Preoccipital notch Medial / inferior Longitudinal fissure Cingulate ( frontal + cingulate ) Collateral ( temporal + occipital ) Callosal sulcus Limbic lobe Parahippocampal gyrus anterior Entorhinal cortex Perirhinal cortex Postrhinal cortex Posterior parahippocampal gyrus Prepyriform area Cingulate cortex / gyrus Subgenual area 25 Anterior cingulate 24 32 33 Posterior cingulate 23 31 Isthmus of cingulate gyrus : Retrosplenial cortex 26 29 30 Hippocampal formation Hippocampal sulcus Fimbria of hippocampus Dentate gyrus Rhinal sulcus Other Supracallosal gyrus Uncus Amygdala Insular cortex Insular cortex General Operculum Poles of cerebral hemispheres Some categorizations are approximations, and some Brodmann areas span gyri. GND : 4183361 - 2 NDL : 01071497 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frontal_lobe&oldid=831679064 '' Categories : Cerebrum Frontal lobe Hidden categories : Pages with unresolved properties Anatomy infobox template using unsupported parameters Infobox brain using braininfo parameter Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Asturianu Azərbaycanca Bosanski Català Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Íslenska Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Tagalog ไทย Türkçe Українська 中文 24 more Edit links This page was last edited on 21 March 2018, at 19 : 06. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. 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Question: what is the front part of your brain
Answer: The frontal lobe