Exam

Frontal Lobe

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Frontal Lobe, Cerebral Frontal Lobe, Frontal Lobe Function, Primary Motor Area, Brodmann Area 4, Supplemental Motor Area, Brodmann Area 6, Frontal Eye Fields, Brodmann Area 8, Broca's Speech Area, Brodmann Area 44 and 45, Pars Orbitalis, Brodmann Area 47

  1. Primary Motor Area (Area 4)
    1. Lesions to this area (e.g. CVA) result in Flaccid Paralysis followed by partial recovery.
    2. Babinski reflex may be present. Often affected in concert with the lesions to the Supplemental Motor Area (Area 6)
  2. Supplemental Motor Area (Area 6)
    1. Lesions often affect Area 4 and Area 6 together, and result in spasticity and hyperreflexia
  3. Frontal Eye Fields (Area 8)
    1. Lesions affect voluntary Extraocular Movements.
  4. Broca's Speech Area (Area 44, 45)
    1. Dominant hemisphere lesions to Broca's Speech Area results in motor Aphasia (Broca Aphasia, Expressive Aphasia)
    2. Patients with motor Aphasia know what they want to say, but their speech is slow and simplified
  5. Orbital part of inferior frontal gyrus (Pars Orbitalis, Area 47)
    1. Involved in the processing of syntax in oral and sign languages, musical syntax, and semantic aspects of language
  • History
  • Findings of pathology (e.g. Tumor)
  1. Personality change
  2. Expressive Aphasia
  • Exam
  • Normal findings
  1. Points finger each time examiner makes fist
  2. Makes fist when examiner points
  1. Dementia
  2. Personality change
  3. Gait disturbance
  4. Generalized Seizures or Focal Seizures
  5. Expressive Aphasia
  6. Newton (1994) Am Fam Physician 49(4): 787-97 [PubMed]