What are the areas that make up the brain? When I say think about the brain, the image of a structure full of twists and parts surely comes to mind, right? These areas of the human brain have names and were very well described by Brodmann. Will you help us discover what areas these are and their functions? In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to learn the name and functions of the 47 Brodmann areas.
What are Brodmann areas?
It was Korbinian Brodmann, a German neurologist and psychiatrist, who created a map to describe and delineate in detail the surface of the cerebral cortex.
It is an organ with complex anatomy, it is full of parts and each of those areas has a name and a function.
With the creation of this map, Brodmann made it possible to locate each area and his map was even used to locate the data obtained in neuroimaging techniques.
How many Brodmann areas are there?
Brodmann performed 47 divisions in the cerebral cortex based on the anatomy and functionality of each of the areas.
Brodmann’s studies were carried out in humans and also in monkeys. Through his research in neuroanatomy he was relating the areas of the cerebral cortex with its functions.
It is important to mention that in some books you can find a total of 52 areasthis occurs because some authors separated some areas into two parts.
Names and functions of the 47 Brodmann areas
Next, we will see each of the Brodmann areas and their functions:
- Area 1, 2 and 3: Primary somatosensory cortex. Reception and processing of tactile and receptive information from different parts of the body. They receive and work with the information sent to them by the organs in charge of tactile stimuli or the internal state of the body.
- Area 4: Motor cortex. Responsible for the motor area, it is responsible for sending movement, contraction and dilation orders to the muscles.
- Area 5: Associative somatosensory cortex. Function within the processing of information sent by the tactile organs.
- Area 6: Secondary somatosensory cortex (premotor). Plan the movements to be made before sending instructions to the primary area. And it is within this area that movement patterns are stored. In Brodmann area 6, we find the .
- Area 7: Secondary somatosensory cortex (postmotor). The function of Brodmann area 7 is to integrate and process the information that will be sent to the primary area.
- Area 8: Secondary motor cortex. The function of Brodmann area 8 consists of the movement of the eye muscles.
- Area 9: Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Brodmann area 9 develops higher mental functions, such as self-awareness, emotional management and information processing, and even good verbal fluency.
- Area 10: Frontopolar area. Brodmann’s area 10 has functions related to aspects such as memory, division of attention, planning and .
- Area 11 and 12: Orbitofrontal area. It is related to higher cognitive functions, such as the management of social interactions and the regulation of behavior and emotions. In this article, we talk about .
- Area 13 and 14: Homeostatic gyri. It has functions related to language, such as the coordination of the movements of the speech system. This area also has to do with emotional and sexual functions. It is also related to the processing of visceral information and that from smell.
- Area 15: Homeostatic convolutions. Brodmann area 15 has a function related to the regulation of blood pressure.
- Area 16: Cloustral peripaleocortical. Function related to the regulation of body temperature, pain, or the ability to swallow.
- Area 17: Primary visual cortex. Thanks to Brodmann area 17, the brain can decipher information coming from the eyes, related to movement, orientation or color.
- Area 18: Associative visual cortex. Regulates three-dimensional vision, and plays a very important role in detecting light intensity.
- Area 19: Associative visual cortex. The function of Brodmann’s area 19 is to recognize visual stimuli, relating them to the information stored in memory.
- Area 20: Inferior temporal gyrus. Brodmann’s area 20 allows us to recognize what is seen, especially recognizing shapes and colors.
- Area 21: Middle temporal gyrus. It is an auditory association area, which is part of Wernicke’s area. Its function is the understanding of oral language.
- Area 22: Superior temporal gyrus. He is mostly here. Its function is to understand language, through the interpretation of sound stimuli and their relationship with their meaning.
- Area 23: Ventral posterior cingulate area. Function related to memory and feelings.
- Area 24: Ventral anterior area of the cingulate. The function of Brodmann area 24 is related to the perception and processing of emotions.
- Area 25: Subacalosal area. Its function is related to aspects of the body’s functioning, such as sleep, hunger, and mood regulation.
- Area 26: Ectospinal area of the cingulate. The function of Brodmann area 26 is related to the creation and storage of autobiographical memory.
- Area 27: Pyriform cortex. Functions related to memory and recognition of odors.
- Area 28: Entorhinal cortex. Participate in processes related to the sense of smell as well as others that allow memory.
- Area 29: Retrosplenial area of the cingulate. Function related to memory, especially remembering experiences and personal experiences
- Area 30: Subsplenial area of the cingulate. Brodmann area 30 has a function related to memory, but involved in functions such as learning and conditioning processes.
- Area 31: Dorsoposterior area of the cingulate. Brodmann’s area 31 fulfills a function related to memory and feelings, being the main one responsible for producing the feeling of familiarity.
- Area 32: Dorsoanterior area of the cingulate. Responsible for higher mental processes such as the inhibition of automatic responses and the ability to make decisions.
- Area 33: Indeseum griseum. Functions related to pain perception, planning physical behavior, and the ability to interpret our own feelings.
- Area 34: Uncus. Brodmenn area 34 is responsible for memory related to smells, and the perception of unpleasant elements in our environment.
- Area 35: Perirhinal cortex. Related to various functions, such as memory of non-conscious memories, recognition of visual patterns, and certain components of olfactory memory.
- Area 36: Parahippocampal cortex. Its functions are related to the. And it plays an important role in the processing of data related to the spatial location of the body.
- Area 37: Lateral occitotemporal gyrus. Its function is to help perform complex tasks, such as interpreting sign language, recognizing faces, or understanding metaphors.
- Area 38: Temporal pole. The function of Brodmann’s area 38 is as a connection between the areas that are responsible for memory and those more related to emotions.
- Area 39: Angular gyrus heteromodal association. Its function is related to the understanding of language, regardless of whether we receive it in writing or orally.
- Area 40: Supramarginal gyrus heteromodal association. Brodmann area 40 has a function related to the mastery of reading and writing. And, it is also important for motor and tactile recognition.
- Area 41: Primary auditory cortex. It is the first part of the brain that receives information from the ears. Its function is to perceive frequency changes, in addition to allowing the origin of sounds to be located.
- Area 42: Associative auditory cortex. It is an area whose function is to process stimuli coming from the ears.
- Area 43: Gustatory cortex. The function of Brodmann’s area 43 is to allow us to identify the different types of flavors of what we ingest.
- Area 44: Opercular gyrus. This area is part of Broca’s area, important in language production. Its function is related to gesticulation, intonation of language, and movements of the speech system.
- Area 45: Triangular convolution. Brodmann area 45. It is also part of Broca’s area. It is mainly related to semantic processing, in addition to playing auxiliary roles in intonation, the production of facial expressions, and gesticulation.
- Area 46: Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Its function is related to capacities such as working memory and attention.
- Area 47: Inferior frontal gyrus. Brodmann area 47 is also a part of Broca’s area. Its function is to help understand and produce syntax in language and music.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Brodmann’s 47 areas: names and functionswe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Garey, L.J. (2006). Broadmann’s ‘Localization in the Cerebral Cortex’. Springer.
- Door, A. (2019). Brodmann areas: history, characteristics and functions. Lifeder. Retrieved from: https://www.lifeder.com/areas-de-brodmann/