Synonyms
Definition
The brain is divided into a left and right hemisphere. Each hemisphere is subdivided into four lobes, frontal parietal, occipital and temporal. Each of the four lobes is thought to have specialist roles for aspects of functioning.
Description
The frontal lobe is the largest part of the cortex. Anatomically, the frontal lobes extend from the central gyrus to the anterior limit of the brain [5] see yellow area in Fig. 1. The frontal lobes include the primary motor, supplementary motor and premotor cortex (involved in planning of execution of movement), Brocas area (involved in the production of speech) and the prefrontal lobes (involved in executive functions, social behavior and motivational states [5].
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Alexander, G., & Crutcher, M. D. (1990). Functional architecture of basal ganglia circuits: Neural substrates of parallel processing. Trends in Neuroscience, 13(7), 266–271.
Alexander, G., DeLong, M. R., & Strick, P. L. (1986). Parallel organization of functionally segregated circuits linking basal ganglia and cortex. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 9, 357–381.
Chow, T. W., & Cummings, J. L. (1999). Frontal-subcortical circuits. In B. L. Miller & J. L. Cummings (Eds.), The human frontal lobes (pp. 3–26). Guilford Press: New York.
Huttenlocher, P. R. (1979). Synaptic density in human frontal cortex – developmental changes and effects of aging. Brain Research, 163(2), 195–205.
Kalat, J. W. (1995). Biological psychology (5th ed.). New York: Brookes/Cole Publishing Company.
Kolb, B., & Whishaw, I. Q. (1996). Fundamentals of human neuropsychology (4th ed.). New York: W.H. Freemen and Company.
Mah, L. W., Arnold, M. C., & Grafman, J. (2005). Deficits in social knowledge following damage to ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 17(1), 66–74.
Owen, A. M. (2004). Cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease: The role of frontostriatal circuitry. The Neuroscientist, 10(6), 525–537.
Roberts, R. J., Jr. & Pennington, B. F. (1996). An interactive framework for examining prefrontal cognitive processes. Developmental Neuropsychology [Special executive functions in children], 12(1), 105–126.
Salthouse, T. A. (2005). Relations between cognitive abilities and measures of executive functioning. Neuropsychology, 19(4), 532–545.
Samango-Sprouse, C. (1999). Frontal lobe development in childhood. In B. L. Miller & J. L. Cummings (Eds.), The human frontal lobes (pp. 584–605). New York: Guilford Press.
Tekin, S., & Cummings, J. L. (2002). Frontal-subcortical neuronal circuits and clinical neuropsychiatry: An update. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53(2), 647–654.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this entry
Cite this entry
McKinlay, A. (2011). Frontal Lobes. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1175
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1175
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science