A
Brodmann area is a region of the
cortexThe cerebral cortex is a structure within the brain that plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It constitutes the outermost layer of the cerebrum. In preserved brains, it has a grey color, hence the name "grey matter"...
defined based on its
cytoarchitectureCytoarchitecture is the cellular composition of a bodily structure.In biology, it refers to the arrangement of cells in a tissue, and in neuroscience it refers specifically to the arrangement of neuronal soma in the brain....
, or organization of cells.
Brodmann areas were originally defined and numbered by
Korbinian BrodmannKorbinian Brodmann was a German neurologist who became famous for his definition of the cerebral cortex into 52 distinct regions from their cytoarchitectonic characteristics. These areas are now usually referred to as Brodmann areas...
based on the organization of
neuronA neuron is an excitable cell in the nervous system that processes and transmits information by electrochemical signaling. Neurons are the core components of the brain, the vertebrate spinal cord, the invertebrate ventral nerve cord, and the peripheral nerves...
s he observed in the cortex using the
NisslFranz Nissl was a German neuropathologist.-Life:Born in Frankenthal, Rhenish Palatinate, he did his medical studies in Munich where he became interested in the pathology of cortical neurons...
stain. Brodmann published his maps of cortical areas in humans, monkeys, and other species in 1909, along with many other findings and observations regarding the general cell types and laminar organization of the mammalian cortex.
A
Brodmann area is a region of the
cortexThe cerebral cortex is a structure within the brain that plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It constitutes the outermost layer of the cerebrum. In preserved brains, it has a grey color, hence the name "grey matter"...
defined based on its
cytoarchitectureCytoarchitecture is the cellular composition of a bodily structure.In biology, it refers to the arrangement of cells in a tissue, and in neuroscience it refers specifically to the arrangement of neuronal soma in the brain....
, or organization of cells.
Brodmann areas were originally defined and numbered by
Korbinian BrodmannKorbinian Brodmann was a German neurologist who became famous for his definition of the cerebral cortex into 52 distinct regions from their cytoarchitectonic characteristics. These areas are now usually referred to as Brodmann areas...
based on the organization of
neuronA neuron is an excitable cell in the nervous system that processes and transmits information by electrochemical signaling. Neurons are the core components of the brain, the vertebrate spinal cord, the invertebrate ventral nerve cord, and the peripheral nerves...
s he observed in the cortex using the
NisslFranz Nissl was a German neuropathologist.-Life:Born in Frankenthal, Rhenish Palatinate, he did his medical studies in Munich where he became interested in the pathology of cortical neurons...
stain. Brodmann published his maps of cortical areas in humans, monkeys, and other species in 1909, along with many other findings and observations regarding the general cell types and laminar organization of the mammalian cortex. (The same Brodmann area number in different species does not necessarily indicate homologous areas.) Although the Brodmann areas have been discussed, debated, refined, and renamed exhaustively for nearly a century, they remain the most widely known and frequently cited cytoarchitectural organization of the human cortex. Many of the areas Brodmann defined based solely on their neuronal organization have since been correlated closely to diverse cortical functions. For example, Brodmann areas 1, 2 and 3 are the primary somatosensory cortex; area 4 is the
primary motor cortexThe primary motor cortex is a brain region that in humans is located in the posterior portion of the frontal lobe. Itworks in association with pre-motor areas to plan and execute movements. M1 contains large neurons known as Betz cells which send long axons down the spinal cord to synapse onto...
; area 17 is the primary visual cortex; and areas 41 and 42 correspond closely to
primary auditory cortexThe primary auditory cortex is the region of the brain that is responsible for processing of auditory information.-Function:As with other primary sensory cortical areas, auditory sensations reach perception only if received and processed by a cortical area...
. Higher order functions of the association cortical areas are also consistently localized to the same Brodmann areas by
neurophysiologicalNeurophysiology is a part of physiology. Neurophysiology is the study of nervous system function...
,
functional imagingFunctional MRI or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a type of specialized MRI scan. It measures the haemodynamic response related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. It is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging...
, and other methods (e.g., the consistent localization of
Broca'sBroca's area is a region of the brain with functions linked to speech production.The production of language has been linked to the Broca’s area since Paul Pierre Broca reported impairments in two patients. They had lost the ability to speak after injury to the posterior inferior frontal gyrus of...
speech and language area to the left Brodmann areas 44 and 45).
Some of the original Brodmann areas have been subdivided further, e.g., "23a" and "23b".
Brodmann areas for human & non-human primates
- Areas 3, 1 & 2 - Primary Somatosensory Cortex (frequently referred to as Areas 3, 1, 2 by convention)
- Area 4 - Primary Motor Cortex
Brodmann area 4 comprises the primary motor cortex of the human brain. It is located in the posterior portion of the frontal lobe.Brodmann area 4 is about the same as the precentral gyrus...
- Area 5 - Somatosensory Association Cortex
Brodmann area 5 is one of Brodmann's cytologically defined regions of the brain. It is involved in somatosensory processing and association.-Human:Brodmann area 5 is part of the parietal cortex in the human brain...
- Area 6
-Human:Brodmann area 6, or BA6, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain. Situated just anterior to the primary motor cortex , it is composed of the premotor cortex and, medially, the supplementary motor area, or SMA...
- Premotor cortexThe premotor cortex is an area of motor cortex lying within the frontal lobe of the brain. It extends 3 mm anterior to the primary motor cortex, near the Sylvian fissure, before narrowing to approximately 1 mm near the medial longitudinal fissure, which serves as the posterior border for the...
and Supplementary Motor Cortex (Secondary Motor Cortex)(Supplementary motor areaThe supplementary motor area is a part of the sensorimotor cerebral cortex . It was included, on purely cytoarchitectonic arguments, in area 6 of Brodmann and the Vogts...
)
- Area 7 - Somatosensory Association Cortex
Brodmann area 7 is one of Brodmann's cytologically defined regions of the brain. It is involved in locating objects in space. It serves as a point of convergence between vision and proprioception to determine where objects are in relation to parts of the body.-Human:Brodmann area 7 is part of the...
- Area 8
Brodmann area 8 is one of Brodmann's cytologically defined regions of the brain. It is involved in planning complex movements.-Human:Brodmann area 8, or BA8, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain...
- Includes Frontal eye fieldsThe frontal eye fields is a region located in the premotor cortex, which is part of the frontal cortex of the primate brain.-Function:...
- Area 9
-Human:Brodmann area 9, or BA9, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain. It contributes to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.-Guenon:The term Brodmann area 9 refers to a cytoarchitecturally defined portion of the frontal lobe of the guenon...
- Dorsolateral prefrontal cortexThe dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is the last area to develop in the human cerebrum. A more restricted definition of this area describes it as roughly equivalent to Brodmann areas 9 and 46, according to a broader definition DL-PFC consists of the lateral portions of Brodmann areas 9 – 12, of...
- Area 10
Brodmann area 10, or BA10, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain. BA10 encompasses the most anterior part of the frontal cortex, known as the frontopolar region...
- Anterior prefrontal cortex (most rostral part of superior and middle frontal gyri)
- Area 11
Brodmann area 11 is one of Brodmann's cytologically defined regions of the brain. It is involved in planning, reasoning, and decision making.-Human:Brodmann area 11, or BA11, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain...
- Orbitofrontal areaThe orbitofrontal cortex is a region of association cortex of the human brain involved in cognitive processes such as decision-making. The name of this region is based upon the region's location within the frontal lobes, resting above the orbits of the eyes...
(orbital and rectus gyri, plus part of the rostral part of the superior frontal gyrus)
- Area 12
Brodmann area 12 is a subdivision of the cerebral cortex of the guenon defined on the basis of cytoarchitecture. It occupies the most rostral portion of the frontal lobe. Brodmann-1909 did not regard it as homologous, either topographically or cytoarchitecturally, to rostral area 12 of the human...
- Orbitofrontal areaThe orbitofrontal cortex is a region of association cortex of the human brain involved in cognitive processes such as decision-making. The name of this region is based upon the region's location within the frontal lobes, resting above the orbits of the eyes...
(used to be part of BA11, refers to the area between the superior frontal gyrus and the inferior rostral sulcus)
- Area 13
Brodmann area 13 is a subdivision of the cerebral cortex as defined on the guenon monkey and on the basis of cytoarchitecture. Along with Brodmann area 14 and 15, Brodmann area 13 is found only in non-human primates and no equivalent structure exists in humans.-Location:Located in the posterior of...
and Area 14Brodmann Area 14 is one of Brodmann's subdivisions of the cerebral cortex in the brain. It was defined by Brodmann in the guenon monkey. No equivalent structure exists in humans.-Anatomy:...
* - Insular cortexThe insular cortex is a cerebral cortex structure deep within the lateral sulcus between the temporal lobe and the parietal lobe...
- Area 15
Brodmann Area 15 is one of Brodmann's subdivisions of the cerebral cortex in the brain.Area 15 was defined by Brodmann in the guenon monkey, but he found no equivalent structure in humans...
* - Anterior Temporal Lobe
- Area 17 - Primary visual cortex (V1)
- Area 18
-Human:Brodmann area 18, or BA18, is part of the occipital cortex in the human brain. It accounts for the bulk of the volume of the occipital lobe....
- Secondary visual cortex (V2)
- Area 19
-Human:Brodmann area 19, or BA19, is part of the occipital lobe cortex in the human brain. Along with area 18, it comprises the extrastriate cortex...
- Associative visual cortex (V3)
- Area 20
-Human:Brodmann area 20, or BA20, is part of the temporal cortex in the human brain. The region encompasses most of the ventral temporal cortex, a region believed to play a part in high-level visual processing and recognition memory....
- Inferior temporal gyrusThe inferior temporal gyrus is placed below the middle temporal sulcus, and is connected behind with the inferior occipital gyrus; it also extends around the infero-lateral border on to the inferior surface of the temporal lobe, where it is limited by the inferior sulcus...
- Area 21
Brodmann area 21, or BA21, is part of the temporal cortex in the human brain. The region encompasses most of the lateral temporal cortex, a region believed to play a part in auditory processing and language. Language function is left lateralized in most individuals. BA21 is superior to BA20 and...
- Middle temporal gyrusMiddle temporal gyrus is a gyrus in the brain on the Temporal lobe. It is located between the superior temporal gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus. Its exact function is unknown, but it has been connected with processes as different as contemplating distance, recognition of known faces, and...
- Area 22
Brodmann area 22 is one of Brodmann's cytologically defined regions of the brain. It is involved in auditory processing.-Human:Brodmann area 22 is a region of the human brain . On the left side of the brain this area helps with generation and understanding of individual words...
- Superior temporal gyrusA gyrus is a bump or ridge on the surface of the brain. The superior temporal gyrus is one of three gyri in the temporal lobe of the human brain.The superior temporal gyrus is bounded by:* the lateral sulcus above;...
, of which the caudal part is usually considered to contain the Wernicke's areaWernick's area is one of the two parts of the cerebral cortex linked since the late nineteenth century to speech...
- Area 23
Brodmann area 23 is a region in the brain corresponding to some portion of the posterior cingulate cortex. It lies between Brodmann area 30 and Brodmann area 31 and is located on the medial wall of the cingulate gyrus between the callosal sulcus and the cingulate sulcus.-Human:This area is also...
- Ventral Posterior cingulate cortex
- Area 24
-Human:In the human this area is known as ventral anterior cingulate area 24, and it refers to a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined cingulate cortex region of cerebral cortex . It occupies most of the anterior cingulate gyrus in an arc around the genu of corpus callosum. Its outer...
- Ventral Anterior cingulate cortexThe Anterior cingulate cortex is the frontal part of the cingulate cortex, that resembles a "collar" form around the corpus callosum, the fibrous bundle that relays neural signals between the right and left cerebral hemispheres of the brain....
- Area 25
Brodmann area 25 is an area in the cerebral cortex of the brain and delineated based on its cytoarchitectonic characteristics.It is also called the subgenual area or area subgenualis....
- Subgenual cortex
- Area 26
-Human:In the human this area is called ectosplenial area 26. It is a cytoarchitecturally defined portion of the retrosplenial region of the cerebral cortex. It is a narrow band located in the isthmus of cingulate gyrus adjacent to the fasciolar gyrus internally...
- Ectosplenial area
- Area 27
Area 27 of Brodmann-1909 is a cytoarchitecturally defined cortical area that is a rostral part of the parahippocampal gyrus of the guenon . It is commonly regarded as a synonym of presubiculum .-External links:...
- Piriform cortexIn anatomy of animals, the piriform cortex, or pyriform cortex is a region in the brain. The piriform cortex is part of the rhinencephalon situated in the telencephalon....
- Area 28
-Guenon:Brodmann area 28 is a subdivision of the cerebral cortex of the guenon defined on the basis of cytoarchitecture. Brodmann regarded its location adjacent to the hippocampus as imprecisely represented in the illustration of the cortex of the guenon brain in Brodmann-1909...
- Posterior Entorhinal CortexThe entorhinal cortex is an important memory center in the brain. The EC forms the main input to the hippocampus and is responsible for the pre-processing of the input signals. In the reflex nictitating membrane response of classical trace conditioning, the association of impulses from the eye...
- Area 29
Brodmann area 29, also known as granular retrolimbic area 29, is a cytoarchitecturally defined portion of the retrosplenial region of the cerebral cortex. In the human it is a narrow band located in the isthmus of cingulate gyrus. Cytoarchitecturally it is bounded internally by the ectosplenial...
- Retrosplenial cingulate cortexThe cingulate cortex is a part of the brain situated in the medial aspect of the cortex. It is extended from the corpus callosum below to the cingulate sulcus above, at least anteriorly.-History:...
- Area 30
Brodmann area 30, also known as agranular retrolimbic area 30, is a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined retrosplenial region of the cerebral cortex. In the human it is located in the isthmus of cingulate gyrus...
- Part of cingulate cortexThe cingulate cortex is a part of the brain situated in the medial aspect of the cortex. It is extended from the corpus callosum below to the cingulate sulcus above, at least anteriorly.-History:...
- Area 31
Brodmann area 31, also known as dorsal posterior cingulate area 31, is a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined cingulate region of the cerebral cortex. In the human it occupies portions of the posterior cingulate gyrus and medial aspect of the parietal lobe. Approximate boundaries are the...
- Dorsal Posterior cingulate cortex
- Area 32
The Brodmann area 32, also known in the human brain as the dorsal anterior cingulate area 32, refers to a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined cingulate region of cerebral cortex. In the human it forms an outer arc around the anterior cingulate gyrus...
- Dorsal anterior cingulate cortexThe Anterior cingulate cortex is the frontal part of the cingulate cortex, that resembles a "collar" form around the corpus callosum, the fibrous bundle that relays neural signals between the right and left cerebral hemispheres of the brain....
- Area 33
Brodmann area 33, also known as pregenual area 33, is a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined cingulate region of cerebral cortex. It is a narrow band located in the anterior cingulate gyrus adjacent to the supracallosal gyrus in the depth of the callosal sulcus...
- Part of anterior cingulate cortexThe Anterior cingulate cortex is the frontal part of the cingulate cortex, that resembles a "collar" form around the corpus callosum, the fibrous bundle that relays neural signals between the right and left cerebral hemispheres of the brain....
- Area 34
This area is known as dorsal entorhinal area 34. It is a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined hippocampal region of the human cerebral cortex. It is located in the entorhinal area on the medial aspect of the temporal lobe. It and the entorhinal area 28 together constitute approximately...
- Anterior Entorhinal CortexThe entorhinal cortex is an important memory center in the brain. The EC forms the main input to the hippocampus and is responsible for the pre-processing of the input signals. In the reflex nictitating membrane response of classical trace conditioning, the association of impulses from the eye...
(on the Parahippocampal gyrusThe parahippocampal gyrus is a grey matter cortical region of the brain that surrounds the hippocampus. This region plays an important role in memory encoding and retrieval. The anterior part of the gyrus includes the perirhinal and entorhinal cortices...
)
- Area 35
Brodmann area 35, together with Brodmann area 36, is most frequently referred to as perirhinal cortex.-Human:This area is known as perirhinal area 35. It is a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined hippocampal region of the cerebral cortex. In the human it is located along the rhinal sulcus...
- Perirhinal cortexPerirhinal cortex is a cortical region in the medial temporal lobe that is made up of Brodmann areas 35 and 36. In rats, it is located along and dorsal to the rhinal sulcus. It receives highly-processed sensory information from all sensory regions, and is generally accepted to be an important...
(on the Parahippocampal gyrusThe parahippocampal gyrus is a grey matter cortical region of the brain that surrounds the hippocampus. This region plays an important role in memory encoding and retrieval. The anterior part of the gyrus includes the perirhinal and entorhinal cortices...
)
- Area 36
Ectorhinal area 36 is a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined temporal region of cerebral cortex. With its medial boundary corresponding approximately to the rhinal sulcus it is located primarily in the fusiform gyrus...
- Parahippocampal cortex (on the Parahippocampal gyrusThe parahippocampal gyrus is a grey matter cortical region of the brain that surrounds the hippocampus. This region plays an important role in memory encoding and retrieval. The anterior part of the gyrus includes the perirhinal and entorhinal cortices...
)
- Area 37
Brodmann area 37, or BA37, is part of the temporal cortex in the human brain.This area is known as occipitotemporal area 37 . It is a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined temporal region of cerebral cortex...
- Fusiform gyrusThe fusiform gyrus is part of the temporal lobe. It is also known as the occipitotemporal gyrus. Other sources have the fusiform gyrus above the occipitotemporal gyrus and underneath the parahippocampal gyrus.-Function:...
- Area 38
Brodmann area 38, also BA38 or temporopolar area 38 , is part of the temporal cortex in the human brain. BA 38 is at the anterior end of the temporal lobe, known as the temporal pole....
- Temporopolar area (most rostral part of the superior and middle temporal gyri)
- Area 39
Brodmann area 39, or BA39, is part of the parietalcortex in the human brain. BA39 encompasses the angular gyrus, lying near to the junction of temporal, occipital and parietal lobes....
- Angular gyrusThe angular gyrus is a region of the brain in the parietal lobe, that lies near the superior edge of the temporal lobe, and immediately posterior to the supramarginal gyrus; it is involved in a number of processes related to language, mathematics and cognition...
, considered by some to be part of Wernicke's areaWernick's area is one of the two parts of the cerebral cortex linked since the late nineteenth century to speech...
- Area 40
Brodmann area 40, or BA40, is part of the parietal cortex in the human brain. The inferior part of BA40 is in the area of the supramarginal gyrus, which lies at the posterior end of the lateral fissure, in the inferior lateral part of the parietal lobe....
- Supramarginal gyrus considered by some to be part of Wernicke's areaWernick's area is one of the two parts of the cerebral cortex linked since the late nineteenth century to speech...
- Areas 41 & 42 - Primary and Auditory Association Cortex
- Area 43
Brodmann area 43 is a subdivision of the cerebral cortex of the guenon defined on the basis of cytoarchitecture. It was described on the map of cortical areas in Brodmann-1909, and it was regarded as cytoarchitecturally homologous to area 30 of Mauss in 1908 in the guenon and subcentral area 43 of...
- Subcentral area (between insula and post/precentral gyrus)
- Area 44
Brodmann area 44, or BA44, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain. Situated just anterior to premotor cortex and on the lateral surface, inferior to BA9....
- pars opercularisIn the human brain the Pars opercularis is the part of the inferior frontal gyrus that lies between the inferior precentral sulcus and the ascending ramus of the lateral sulcus. It is called opercularis because it covers part of the insula...
, part of Broca's areaBroca's area is a region of the brain with functions linked to speech production.The production of language has been linked to the Broca’s area since Paul Pierre Broca reported impairments in two patients. They had lost the ability to speak after injury to the posterior inferior frontal gyrus of...
- Area 45
Brodmann area 45 , is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain. Situated on the lateral surface, inferior to BA9 and adjacent to BA46.This area is also known as pars triangular ...
- pars triangularisPars triangularis is a region of Broca's area in the left inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe in the human brain mapping to Brodmann area 45....
Broca's areaBroca's area is a region of the brain with functions linked to speech production.The production of language has been linked to the Broca’s area since Paul Pierre Broca reported impairments in two patients. They had lost the ability to speak after injury to the posterior inferior frontal gyrus of...
- Area 46
Brodmann area 46, or BA46, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain. It is between BA10 and BA45.BA46 is known as middle frontal area 46. In the human it occupies approximately the middle third of the middle frontal gyrus and the most rostral portion of the inferior frontal gyrus...
- Dorsolateral prefrontal cortexThe dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is the last area to develop in the human cerebrum. A more restricted definition of this area describes it as roughly equivalent to Brodmann areas 9 and 46, according to a broader definition DL-PFC consists of the lateral portions of Brodmann areas 9 – 12, of...
- Area 47
Brodmann area 47, or BA47, is part of the frontal cortex in the human brain. Curving from the lateral surface of the frontal lobe into the ventral frontal cortex. It is below areas BA10 and BA45, and beside BA11....
- Inferior prefrontal gyrus
- Area 48
Retrosubicular area 48 is a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined hippocampal region of the cerebral cortex.In the human it is located on the medial surface of the temporal lobe. Cytoarchitectually it is bounded rostrally by the perirhinal area 35 and medially by the presubiculum...
- Retrosubicular area (a small part of the medial surface of the temporal lobe)
- Area 52
Parainsular area 52 is a subdivision of the cytoarchitecturally defined temporal region of cerebral cortex.It is located in the bank of the lateral sulcus on the dorsal surface of the temporal lobe. Its medial boundary corresponds approximately to the junction between the temporal lobe and the...
- Parainsular area (at the junction of the temporal lobe and the insulaInsula may refer to*Insular cortex, a human brain structure*The singular of insulae, Roman apartments for the low and middle classes*Ínsula Barataria, the governorship assigned to Sancho Panza as a prank in the novel Don Quixote...
)
(*) Area only found in non-human
primateA primate is a member of the biological order Primates , the group that contains lemurs, lorisids, galagos, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes, with the last category including great apes. With the exception of humans, who inhabit every continent on Earth, most primates live in tropical or subtropical...
s.
Criticism
When von Bonin and Bailey were to construct a brain map for the
macaqueThe macaques constitute a genus of Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. Aside from humans , the macaques are the most widespread primate genus, ranging from northern Africa to Japan...
monkey they found the description of Brodmann inadequate and wrote:
- Brodmann (1907), it is true, prepared a map of the human brain which has been widely reproduced, but, unfortunately, the data on which it was based was never published
They instead used the cytoarchitechtonic scheme of
Constantin von EconomoConstantin Freiherr von Economo was an Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist of Greek origin. He is mostly known for his discovery of encephalitis lethargica and his atlas of cytoarchitectonics....
and
Georg N. KoskinasGeorg N. Koskinas was a Greek neurologist-psychiatrist. He was born on December 1, 1885 in Geraki, near Sparta. He studied medicine at the University of Athens, graduating in 1910, and subsequently trained as a resident in the Clinic of Psychiatry and Neurology of Aiginiteion Hospital under Michel...
published in 1925
which had the "only acceptable detailed description of the human cortex".
External links