More on the Brain

After looking at my post about functions of different areas of the brain I realized that I didn't put in a link to the page where I found the information.  I can't find it.  However, I did find one where the frontal lobe functions are explained. The site is discussing brain tumors but is applicable in the functioning.  It is amazing how different areas of the brain do different functions.

http://www.btbuddies.org.uk/about-high-grade-brain-tumours/areas-of-the-brain-and-their-functions.html

Frontal Lobes

The frontal lobes are part of the  Cerebral Cortex and are the largest of the brain's structures. They are the main site of so–called 'higher' Cognitive functions. The frontal lobes contain a number of important substructures, including the prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, motor and premotor cortices, and Broca's area. These substructures are involved in attention and thought, voluntary movement, decision–making, and language.

Associated functions

Executive processes (voluntary behavior such as decision making, planning, problem–solving, and thinking), voluntary motor control, cognition, intelligence, attention, language processing and comprehension, and many others.

The frontals lobes are the brain's largest structures and consequently have been associated with a large number of disorders. These include ADHD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder (prefrontal cortex).

Symptoms of brain tumours affecting the  Frontal Lobe

The frontal lobes determine personality and contain the area called the motor cortex that controls movement of the muscles of the body (the motor cortex on the right half of the brain controls the left side of the body and vice versa). The frontal lobes are thought to be the area of the brain most involved in conscious thinking. Symptoms of tumours affecting the frontal lobe can include:

•     Personality change
•     Disinhibition – loss of inhibition leading to offensive behaviour which is out of character for that person e.g. swearing, rudeness, inappropriate sexual behaviour
•     Irritability
•     Aggression
•      apathy – loss of interest in life
•     Difficulty planning or organising
•     Weakness of one side of the face or body
•     Problems walking
•     Difficulty speaking