Corpus: Frontal lobe
1. Definition
The frontal lobe is an anatomical part of the cerebrum (telencephalon). Its topographical area extends from the anterior pole of the brain to the central sulcus. It belongs to the neocortex.
2. Anatomy
The frontal lobe is located within the anterior cranial fossa. It is separated from the temporal lobe by the lateral sulcus and overlies the insular cortex. Its most anterior portion is called the frontal pole (polus frontalis).
The frontal lobe includes, among others
- Precentral gyrus
- Inferior frontal gyrus
- Medial frontal gyrus
- Superior frontal gyrus
- Straight gyrus
- Operculum
- Orbital gyri
Arterial blood supply to the frontal lobe is divided between the anterior cerebral artery, which supplies the medial and basal regions, and the middle cerebral artery, which supplies the lateral surface. Venous drainage is primarily via the superficial ascending cerebral veins, with some contribution from the superficial cerebral vein.
3. Function
An important part of the frontal lobe is the motor cortex, which controls voluntary movements. The motor cortex is divided into the primary motor cortex (praecentral gyrus), the premotor cortex and the supplementary motor cortex.
4. Clinic
Damage to the frontal lobe results in the frontal brain syndrome.