Frontal Lobe

Question 1

What is the frontal lobe comprised of?

Answer 1

All tissue in front of the central sulcus

Question 2

What is the central sulcus?

Answer 2

The border between the frontal and parietal lobes

Question 3

What percentage of the neocortex does the frontal lobe take up?

Answer 3

20%

Question 4

What are the regions of the frontal lobe?

Answer 4

Motor Cortex
Premotor Cortex
Prefrontal cortex

Question 5

What is another term for the motor cortex?

Answer 5

Precentral gyrus

Question 6

What is the function of the motor cortex?

Answer 6

Stimulation of particular regions in the cortex causes movements in corresponding areas of the body.

Question 7

What is the premotor cortex?

Answer 7

Plans movements that are then executed by the motor cortex

Question 8

What regions can the premotor cortex be divided into?

Answer 8

Premotor area
Supplementary Area

Question 9

What areas can the prefrontal cortex be divided into?

Answer 9

Doral-lateral prefrontal
Inferior prefrontal cortex
Medial frontal cortex

Question 10

What area of the frontal lobe provides mechanisms for the execution of individual movements?

Answer 10

Motor Cortex

Question 11

What typically damages the motor cortex?

Answer 11

Strokes

Question 12

Damage in what area results in fine movement impairment, loss of speed, loss of strength, and impaired voluntary movements

Answer 12

Motor Cortex

Question 13

What area of the frontal lobe is vital for planning movements in activities such as tennis and playing the piano?

Answer 13

Premotor Cortex

Question 14

What area of the frontal lobe is considered a ‘higher’ motor area?

Answer 14

Premotor Cortex

Question 15

Which area of the premotor cortex controls externally triggered actions?

Answer 15

The SMA

Question 16

Which part of the premotor cortex controls internally initiated actions?

Answer 16

The PMA

Question 17

What difficulty would someone with premotor cortex damage have with repeating symbols in an image?

Answer 17

They would be unable to locate the repeating symbols.

Question 18

How do eye movements differ in frontal patients compared to healthy individuals when asked about a scene?

Answer 18

Frontal patients’ eye movements are random and lack focus, while healthy individuals direct their gaze based on the task.

Question 19

Which brain regions are likely involved in directing focused eye movements?

Answer 19

The frontal eye fields (Brodmann areas 8 and 8A).

Question 20

How do the eye movement patterns of healthy individuals differ from those with frontal cortex damage in visual tasks?

Answer 20

Healthy individuals show clear, focused patterns, while those with damage show scattered, unfocused patterns.

Question 21

What Brachman’s area is particularly important for speech?

Answer 21

Area 44

Question 22

What is the function of the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 22

Controls cognitive processes so that correct movements are selected at the correct time and place

Question 23

What time of memory is involved with the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 23

Short term/working memory

Question 24

What is convergent thinking?

Answer 24

Thinking where there is only one correct answer to a problem.

Question 25

What is divergent thinking?

Answer 25

Thinking where there could be multiple correct responses to a question.

Question 26

What abilities are lost in patients with frontal lobe damage?

Answer 26

Planning, strategy formation, and imagination.

Question 27

Why is the frontal lobe significant in humans?

Answer 27

It is the largest and most evolved part of the human brain.

Question 28

What tasks are difficult for patients with damage to the dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex?

Answer 28

The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop task, and suppressing inappropriate responses.

Question 29

What is the Stroop task?

Answer 29

Naming the ink color of words rather than reading the words themselves.

Question 30

Why do patients with dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex damage struggle with tasks like WCST or Stroop?

Answer 30

They have difficulty adapting to new rules and suppressing automatic responses.

Question 31

What is one of the most dramatic effects of frontal lobe damage?

Answer 31

A marked change in personality.

Question 32

How was Phineas Gage described before his accident?

Answer 32

Good-natured and sociable.

Question 33

How did Phineas Gage’s personality change after his accident?

Answer 33

He became nasty, isolated, and socially impaired.

Question 34

What area of the brain was damaged in Phineas Gage?

Answer 34

The orbital cortex.

Question 35

What is the function of the orbital cortex?

Answer 35

Processing rewards and punishments.

Question 36

What are the two types of personality changes from frontal lobe damage?

Answer 36

pseudodepression
pseudopsychopathy

Question 37

What are the symptoms of pseudodepression?

Answer 37

Outward apathy, indifference, loss of initiative, reduced sexual interest, little overt emotion, and minimal verbal output.

Question 38

Which brain region is pseudodepression more likely associated with?

Answer 38

Left frontal lesions, particularly involving the orbital cortex.

Question 39

What are the symptoms of pseudopsychopathy?

Answer 39

Immature behavior, lack of tact, coarse language, promiscuous sexual behavior, increased motor activity, and lack of social graces.

Question 40

Which brain region is pseudopsychopathy more likely associated with?

Answer 40

Right frontal lesions, particularly involving the orbital cortex.

Question 41

What area of the frontal lobe is involved in making movements?

Answer 41

Motor cortex

Question 42

What area of the frontal lobe is involved in selecting movements

Answer 42

Premotor cortex

Question 43

What area of the frontal lobe is involved in ensuring correct movements are selected at the right time and place?

Answer 43

Prefrontal cortex