Library · Anatomy
Frontal lobe
Make it clearer
The frontal lobe is the frontmost part of each half of the brain. Its borders are sulci, that is, grooves in the surface: behind, the central sulcus separates it from the parietal lobe, and below, the lateral fissure, also called the Sylvian fissure, separates it from the temporal lobe.
Just in front of that central sulcus runs a fold called the precentral gyrus, and that is where the primary motor cortex lives. Its job is to control voluntary movement of specific body parts, not of the body as a whole.
In front of that motor cortex sits the prefrontal cortex, the brain's higher-order association center, the one that pulls together information from many places: decision making, reasoning, and keeping behavior socially appropriate all come from there. They are like two adjacent desks: the back one carries out the movement, and the front one decides whether it is worth doing. Behind, along the sulcus, lies movement; in front, the part that decides to move.
In brief
The frontal lobe occupies the most anterior part of each hemisphere, separated from the parietal lobe by the central sulcus and from the temporal lobe by the Sylvian fissure.
Its precentral gyrus, just in front of the central sulcus, houses the primary motor cortex, which controls voluntary movement of specific body parts.
In front of that motor cortex, the prefrontal cortex is the higher-order association center responsible for decision making, reasoning, and socially appropriate behavior.
Behind, along the sulcus, lies movement; in front, the part that decides to move.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingNeuroanatomy, Frontal Cortex, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated