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Broca's area, or the Broca area (/ ˈ b r oʊ k ə /, [1] [2] [3] also UK: / ˈ b r ɒ k ə /, US: / ˈ b r oʊ k ɑː / [4]), is a region in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere, usually the left, of the brain [5] with functions linked to speech production.
Coronal section of a human brain. BA41(red) and BA42(green) are auditory cortex. BA22(yellow) is Brodmann area 22, HF(blue) is hippocampal formation and pSTG is posterior part of superior temporal gyrus. The auditory cortex is the part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory information in humans and many other vertebrates.
Signers with damage in Broca's area have problems producing signs. Those with damage in the Wernicke's area (left hemisphere) in the temporal lobe of the brain have problems comprehending signed languages. Early on, it was noted that Broca’s area was near the part of the motor cortex controlling the face and mouth.
The arcuate fasciculus is a white matter pathway in the brain which contains two branches: a ventral branch connecting Wernicke's area with Broca's area and a dorsal branch connecting the posterior temporal region with the middle frontal gyrus. This dorsal branch appears to be particularly important for phonological working memory processes. [183]
The differentiation of speech production into only two large sections of the brain (i.e. Broca's and Wernicke's areas), which was accepted long before medical imaging techniques, is now considered outdated. Broca's area was first suggested to play a role in speech function by the French neurologist and anthropologist Paul Broca in 1861.
Broca's area is in the lower part of the premotor cortex in the language dominant hemisphere and is responsible for planning motor speech movements. However, cases of expressive aphasia have been seen in patients with strokes in other areas of the brain. [ 8 ]
Brodmann was the pioneer of cerebral cortex mapping. He grouped several cortical regions based on their nervous function, two of which are areas 41 and 42 for auditory processing. It has been suggested that Brodmann area 42 is a homotypical acoustic association area. [6] Section of brain showing the position of the human temporal lobe.
Different parts of language processing are impacted depending on the area of the brain that is damaged, and aphasia is further classified based on the location of injury or constellation of symptoms. Damage to Broca's area of the brain often results in expressive aphasia which manifests as impairment in speech production.