Motor functions of the Broca’s region

• Published in: Brain and language Vol. 89; no. 2; pp. 362 - 369
• Main Authors: Binkofski, Ferdinand, Buccino, Giovanni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01-05-2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Anatomical correlates of behavior; Animals; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Hemisphere Functions; Brain Mapping; Comprehension; Dominance, Cerebral - physiology; Frontal Lobe - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Kinesthesis - physiology; Language Processing; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Motor Cortex - physiology; Motor Reactions; Motor Skills - physiology; Nerve Net - physiology; Parietal Lobe - physiology; Perceptual Motor Learning; Primatology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Somatosensory Cortex - physiology; Species Specificity; Human; Central nervous system; Monkey; Cognition; Review; Area Broca; Encephalon; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Language; Animal; Primates; Motricity
• ISSN: 0093-934X; 1090-2155
• DOI: 10.1016/S0093-934X(03)00358-4

Broca’s region in the dominant cerebral hemisphere is known to mediate the production of language but also contributes to comprehension. This region evolved only in humans and is constituted of Brodmann’s areas 44 and 45 in the inferior frontal gyrus. There is, however, evidence that Broca’s region overlaps, at least in part, with the ventral premotor cortex. We summarize the evidence that the motor related part of Broca’s area is localized in the opercular portion of the inferior frontal cortex, mainly in area 44 of Brodmann. According to our own data, there seems to be a homology between Brodmann area 44 in humans and the monkey area F5. The non-language related motor functions of Broca’s region comprise complex hand movements, associative sensorimotor learning and sensorimotor integration. Brodmann’s area 44 is also a part of a specialized parieto-premotor network and interacts significantly with the neighboring premotor areas.