Frontal lobe injury
Encyclopedia
Frontal lobe injury is caused by a number of conditions such as trauma, meningitis
, or even hypoxia
(prolonged lack of oxygen), such as in drowning. The frontal lobe
is an extremely vulnerable spot to injury due to its location at the front of the brain, and even minor trauma, such as a concussion, can cause permanent, irreversible damage. Because the frontal lobes are responsible for human behaviour and emotional development, trauma to the front of the cerebral cortex
impairs perception and rationality, social behaviour, personality, language skills, attention span, motor skills, and sexual behaviour, as well as facial expression. Broca's aphasia is strongly associated with frontal lobe injury, because Broca's area is located in the frontal lobe.
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
, or even hypoxia
Hypoxia (medical)
Hypoxia, or hypoxiation, is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise...
(prolonged lack of oxygen), such as in drowning. The frontal lobe
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobe is an area in the brain of humans and other mammals, located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere and positioned anterior to the parietal lobe and superior and anterior to the temporal lobes...
is an extremely vulnerable spot to injury due to its location at the front of the brain, and even minor trauma, such as a concussion, can cause permanent, irreversible damage. Because the frontal lobes are responsible for human behaviour and emotional development, trauma to the front of the cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
impairs perception and rationality, social behaviour, personality, language skills, attention span, motor skills, and sexual behaviour, as well as facial expression. Broca's aphasia is strongly associated with frontal lobe injury, because Broca's area is located in the frontal lobe.
External links
- Dysfunction by Location: Brain Dysfunction: Merck Manual Home Edition
- Science Daily: Damage To The Frontal Lobes Can Affect A Person's Ability To 'Stay On The Job'
See also
- Phineas GagePhineas GagePhineas P. Gage was an American railroad construction foreman now remembered for his improbablesurvival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, and for that injury's reported effects on his personality and...
- Railroad construction worker who survived a large iron being driven through one or both of his frontal lobes in 1848 - Broca's aphasia
- Brain damageBrain damage"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
- LobotomyLobotomyLobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...