II. Definitions
- Frontal Lobe
- Frontal Lobe is key to cognition, expression, problem solving and memory
- Frontal Lobe lesions may result in Expressive Aphasia, personality changes and Dementia
- The Primary Motor Area (Area 4), as with the Parietal Lobe's sensory regions, is organized into the cortical humunculus
- Disproportionately large region devoted to the face and hands
- Broca's Speech Area (dominant hemisphere, area 44) is key to fluent verbal expression
III. Anatomy: Brodmann Areas of Frontal Lobe
- Images
- Primary Motor Area (Area 4)
- Lesions to this area (e.g. CVA) result in Flaccid Paralysis followed by partial recovery
- Babinski Reflex may be present
- Often affected in concert with the lesions to the Supplemental Motor Area (Area 6)
- Supplemental Motor Area (Area 6)
- Lesions often affect Area 4 and Area 6 together, and result in spasticity and hyperreflexia
- Frontal Eye Fields (Area 8)
- Lesions affect voluntary Extraocular Movements looking to the opposite side
- Broca's Speech Area (Area 44, 45)
- Dominant hemisphere lesions to Broca's Speech Area results in motor Aphasia (Broca Aphasia, Expressive Aphasia)
- Patients with motor Aphasia know what they want to say, but their speech is slow and simplified
- Nouns and prepositions are often omitted
- Orbital part of Inferior Frontal Gyrus (Pars Orbitalis, Area 47)
- Involved in the processing of syntax in oral and sign languages, musical syntax, and semantic aspects of language
IV. Anatomy: Gyri
- Images
Lewis (1918) Gray's Anatomy 20th ed (in public domain at Yahoo or BartleBy)
- Precentral Gyrus
- Much of the primary motor cortex corresponds to this gyrus
- Convolution at the posterior Frontal Lobe on the convex side of both Cerebral Hemispheres
- Anterior to the Post Central Gyrus and parallel to the central sulcus
- Central sulcus separates the pre and post central gyri
- Inferior Frontal Gyrus
- Region on the surface of the Frontal Lobe visibly divided in three (pars opercularis, the pars triangularis, Pars Orbitalis)
- Bound by the inferior frontal sulcus dorsally and the lateral fissure ventrally
- Middle Frontal Gyrus
- Large region on the lateral surface of the Frontal Lobe and part of the prefrontal cortex
- Lies between the superior and the inferior frontal sulci and rostral to the Precentral Gyrus
- References
- National Cancer Institute
V. Symptoms: Findings of pathology (e.g. Tumor)
- Personality change
- Expressive Aphasia
VI. Signs: Brain Lesions
- Hemiparesis (Area 4) with or without spasticity and hyperreflexia (Area 6)
- Gait disturbance
- Generalized Seizures or Focal Seizures
- Expressive Aphasia (Areas 44, 45)
- Behavior and Personality change (lesions anterior to the Primary Motor Area, Brodmann 4)
- Judgment and abstract thinking affected
- Affects Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
- May present with concerns for Dementia
VII. Exam: Normal Findings (No lesions)
- Points finger each time examiner makes fist
- Makes fist when examiner points
VIII. References
- Goldberg (2014) Clinical Physiology, Medmaster, Miami, p. 107
- Newton (1994) Am Fam Physician 49(4): 787-97 [PubMed]
Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)
Related Studies
| Definition (FMA) | Frontal lobe is the anterior-most of five lobes of the cerebral hemisphere. It is bounded by the central sulcus on its posterior border and by the longitudinal cerebral fissure on its medial border. |
| Definition (NCI) | The part of the brain located anterior to the parietal lobes at the front of each cerebral hemisphere. |
| Definition (NCI_CDISC) | The part of the brain located anterior to the parietal lobes at the front of each cerebral hemisphere. (NCI) |
| Definition (MSH) | The part of the cerebral hemisphere anterior to the central sulcus, and anterior and superior to the lateral sulcus. |
| Concepts | Body Part, Organ, or Organ Component (T023) |
| MSH | D005625 |
| SnomedCT | 83251001 |
| English | Frontal Lobes, Frontal Lobe, Lobe, Frontal, Lobes, Frontal, Tissue of frontal lobe brain, Tissue of frontal lobe of brain, frontal lobe, Regio frontalis, Frontal cortex, Frontal region, frontal lobe (brain), frontal regions, frontal lobes, frontal brain lobe, frontal lobe brain, brain frontal lobe, FL, frontal cortex, Lobus frontalis, Lobi frontales, Frontal lobes, FRONTAL LOBE, Frontali, Lobus, Frontal Cortices, Frontalis, Lobus, Frontal Cortex, Lobus Frontali, Cortex, Frontal, Lobus Frontalis, Cortices, Frontal, Frontal lobe, Frontal lobe structure (body structure), Frontal lobe structure, Frontal lobe, NOS, lobus frontalis |
| Swedish | Frontallob |
| Czech | čelní lalok, frontální lalok |
| Finnish | Otsalohko |
| Russian | LOBNAIA DOLIA, PODMOZOLISTOE POLE, BROKA OBONIATEL'NOE POLE, БРОКА ОБОНЯТЕЛЬНОЕ ПОЛЕ, ЛОБНАЯ ДОЛЯ, ПОДМОЗОЛИСТОЕ ПОЛЕ |
| Croatian | FRONTALNI REŽANJ |
| Polish | Płat czołowy |
| Norwegian | Lobus frontalis, Frontallapp, Pannelapp |
| Spanish | estructura del lóbulo frontal (estructura corporal), estructura del lóbulo frontal, lóbulo frontal, Lóbulo Frontal |
| French | Lobe frontal |
| German | Frontallappen, Lobus frontalis |
| Italian | Lobo frontale |
| Dutch | Frontaalkwab, Lobus frontalis cerebri, Voorhoofdskwab |
| Portuguese | Lobo Frontal |
Ontology: Structure of superior frontal gyrus (C0152296)
| Concepts | Body Part, Organ, or Organ Component (T023) |
| MSH | D017397 |
| SnomedCT | 36181007 |
| English | Superior frontal convolution, SFG, marginal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, superior frontal convolution, Gyrus F1, Gyrus frontalis superior, Gyrus frontalis primus, Superior Frontal Gyrus, Marginal Gyrus, Superior, Gyrus Frontalis, Convolution, Superior Frontal, Gyrus Frontalis Superiors, Frontal Gyrus, Superior, Gyrus, Marginal, Convolutions, Superior Frontal, Gyrus, Superior Frontal, Frontal Convolutions, Superior, Superior Frontal Convolution, Superior Frontal Convolutions, Gyrus Frontalis Superior, Frontal Convolution, Superior, Frontalis Superior, Gyrus, Frontalis Superiors, Gyrus, Superiors, Gyrus Frontalis, Superior frontal gyrus, Marginal gyrus, Structure of superior frontal gyrus (body structure), Structure of superior frontal gyrus |
| Spanish | circunvolución frontal superior, circunvolución marginal, estructura de la circunvolución frontal superior (estructura corporal), estructura de la circunvolución frontal superior |
Ontology: Middle frontal gyrus structure (C0152297)
| Concepts | Body Part, Organ, or Organ Component (T023) |
| SnomedCT | 74528000 |
| English | Middle frontal gyrus structure (body structure), Structure of middle frontal gyrus (body structure), Gyrus frontalis medialis, Structure of middle frontal gyrus, Intermediate frontal gyrus, Medial frontal gyrus x, Middle Frontal Convolution, Middle Frontal Gyrus, intermediate frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, MFG, medial frontal gyrus (Mai), Gyrus frontalis medius, Gyrus frontalis medialis (Winters), Gyrus frontalis secundus, Gyrus F2, Middle frontal gyrus, Middle frontal gyrus structure |
| Spanish | circunvolución frontal media, estructura de la circunvolución frontal media (estructura corporal), estructura de la circunvolución frontal media |
Ontology: Inferior frontal gyrus (C0152298)
| Concepts | Body Part, Organ, or Organ Component (T023) |
| MSH | D017397 |
| SnomedCT | 5336001 |
| English | Structure of inferior frontal gyrus, Inferior frontal gyrus structure (body structure), Inferior frontal gyrus structure, Structure of inferior frontal gyrus (body structure), Inferior frontal convolution, Inferior Frontal Convolution, IFG, inferior frontal gyrus, inferior frontal convolution, Regio subfrontalis, Gyrus frontalis inferior, Gyrus frontalis tertius, Gyrus F3, Inferior Frontal Gyrus, Frontalis Inferior, Gyrus, Inferior, Gyrus Frontalis, Gyrus, Inferior Frontal, Gyrus Frontalis Inferiors, Gyrus Frontalis Inferior, Frontalis Inferiors, Gyrus, Frontal Gyrus, Inferior, Inferiors, Gyrus Frontalis, Inferior frontal gyrus |
| Spanish | circunvolución frontal inferior, estructura de la circunvolución frontal inferior (estructura corporal), estructura de la circunvolución frontal inferior |
Ontology: Precentral gyrus (C0152299)
| Concepts | Body Part, Organ, or Organ Component (T023) |
| MSH | D005625 |
| SnomedCT | 465006 |
| English | Structure of ascending frontal gyrus (body structure), Structure of ascending frontal gyrus, Ascending frontal gyrus structure, Ascending frontal gyrus structure (body structure), Prerolandic gyrus, Precentral convolution, prerolandic gyrus, PrG, motor cortex (Noback), precentral convolution, precentral gyrus, anterior central gyrus, Gyrus centralis anterior, Gyrus precentralis, Gyrus praecentralis, Gyrus, Anterior Central, Gyrus, Precentral, Precentrali, Gyrus, Anterior Central Gyrus, Precentral Gyrus, Central Gyrus, Anterior, Gyrus Precentrali, Gyrus Precentralis, Precentralis, Gyrus, Ascending frontal gyrus, Precentral gyrus |
| Spanish | circunvolución frontal ascendente, circunvolución precentral, estructura de la circunvolución frontal ascendente (estructura corporal), estructura de la circunvolución frontal ascendente |
