Frontal Lobe Flashcards
What is the cerebral cortex?
The outer layer of the brain divided into right and left hemispheres, each containing four lobes.
How many lobes does each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex contain?
Four lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital.
What are the main components of the frontal lobe?
Broca’s area, the prefrontal cortex, and the primary motor cortex.
What is Broca’s area and where is it located?
A major language area located in the dominant (usually left) frontal lobe.
What is Broca’s aphasia?
Caused by damage to Broca’s area
• Slow, labored speech
• Mostly nouns and verbs
• Trouble repeating words they just heard (impaired repetition)
• Difficulty naming objects (anomia)
What is anomia?
An inability to recall the names of familiar objects.
What is the comprehension ability of individuals with Broca’s aphasia?
Their comprehension of written and spoken language is relatively intact.
What is the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC)?
Essential for executive functions, including planning, decision-making, and working memory, prospective memory, social judgment, and self-monitoring
What are executive functions?
Higher-order cognitive processes including planning, decision-making, working memory, prospective memory, social judgment, and self-monitoring.
What is working memory?
The aspect of short-term memory involved in processing and manipulating information.
What is prospective memory?
Memory for future events.
What other functions does the prefrontal cortex contribute to besides executive functions?
Perscilla Motivate Emotions!!
Regulation of emotions, motivation, and expression of personality.
True or False: Damage to the prefrontal cortex can affect personality expression.
True.
What is the cerebral cortex divided into?
Right and left hemispheres
What lobes are contained in each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex?
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Temporal lobe
- Occipital lobe
What is the major bundle of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres?
Corpus callosum
What is the function of the corpus callosum?
Allows the two hemispheres to continuously communicate with each other
True or False: The cerebral cortex has only one lobe in each hemisphere.
False
What are the three main areas of the frontal lobe?
Prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, Broca’s area
These areas are critical for various cognitive and motor functions.
What role does the prefrontal cortex play in cognitive functions?
It is involved in executive functions such as planning, insight, problem solving, decision making, behavioral inhibition, and social judgment
Executive functions are also known as higher order cognitive functions.
What additional functions does the prefrontal cortex contribute to?
Motivation, emotion regulation, working memory, prospective memory
Prospective memory is memory for future events.
What is the effect of damage to the dorsal lateral area of the frontal lobe?
Produces a dis executive syndrome characterized by impaired attention, working memory, judgment, abstract thinking, depression, decreased range of emotion, and perseveration
Perseveration refers to inappropriate repetition of a response.
What is dis executive syndrome?
A condition characterized by impaired attention, working memory, judgment, abstract thinking, depression, and decreased range of emotion
It can also include perseveration.
What symptoms are associated with damage to the orbital frontal area?
Disinhibited syndrome, behavioral disinhibition, distractibility, emotional ability, inappropriate euphoria, acquired sociopathy
Acquired sociopathy involves risk-taking behavior, lack of empathy, and persistent need for immediate gratification.
