Frontal lobes

Though a recent facial impact injury may have caused additional diffuse cerebral damage, the total performance seemed more indicative of chronic PCP and alcohol abuse. Specifically, the NP profile was characteristic of deficits in frontal lobe-mediated adaptive abilities. While the severity of these deficits seemed slight as compared with the mental status of others of similar... 

Mesocortical A neural pathway that connects the ventral tegmentum to the cortex, particularly the frontal lobes. It is one of the major dopamine pathways in the brain. 

ZawiaNH, Harry GJ. 1995. Exposure to lead-acetate modulates the developmental expression of myelin genes in the rat frontal lobe. Int J Develop Neuroscience 13 639-644. 

Named for the bones of the cranium under which they lie, the lobes are conspicuously defined by prominent sulci of the cortex, which have a relatively constant position in human brains. Each lobe is specialized for different activities (see Figure 6.3). Located in the anterior portions of the hemispheres, the frontal lobes are responsible for voluntary motor activity, speaking ability, and higher intellectual activities. The parietal lobes, which are posterior to the frontal lobes, process and integrate sensory information. The occipital lobes, located in the posterior-most aspects of the cerebrum, process visual information, and the temporal lobes, located laterally, process auditory information. 

The limbic multimodal association area is partially located in each of the temporal, parietal and frontal lobes. It is concerned with emotional expression and memory storage. Although these functions appear to be unrelated, it is important to note that the emotional impact of an event is a major determinant of whether the event is remembered. Once again, it is important to remember that, although each of these multimodal association areas has its own characteristic function, all are highly interconnected and work together toward an end result. 

Following the development of the motor program, neurons originating in the multimodal motor association areas transmit impulses by way of association tracts to neurons of the primary motor cortex. The primary motor cortex is located in the precentral gyrus, which is the most posterior region of the frontal lobe adjacent to the multimodal motor association areas (see Figure 6.3) this area initiates voluntary contractions of specific skeletal muscles. Neurons whose cell bodies reside here transmit impulses by way of descending projection tracts to the spinal cord, where they innervate the alpha motor neurons (which innervate skeletal muscles). 

Egan, M. F., Goldberg, T. E., Kolachana, B. S. etal. Effect of COMT Vall08/158 Met genotype on frontal lobe function and risk for schizophrenia. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98 6917-6922, 2001. 

Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, 1... 

Brun, A. Frontal lobe degeneration of non-Alzheimer type. I. Neuropathology. Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr. 6 193-208,1987. 

Volz, H. P, Rzanny, R., Riehemann, S. et al. 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the frontal lobe of major depressed patients. Eur. Arch. Psychiat. Clin. Neurosci. 248 289-295, 1998. 

Simister, R. J., McLean, M. A., Barker, G. J. and Duncan J. S. Proton MRS reveals frontal lobe metabolite abnormalities in idiopathic generalized epilepsy. Neurology 61 897-902, 2003. 

Adolescence is a time of novelty seeking related to curiosity and learning skills for survival that maybe part of a natural maturation process. Adolescent brains are not fully mature, especially the frontal lobes, which have to do with problem... 

Cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism Nicotine increases cerebral blood flow (Hara et al. 1993 Yokoi et al. 1993). Functional MRI of smokers who were administered intravenous nicotine shows increases of cerebral blood flow in several areas of the brain. Corresponding to feelings of mood elevation, nicotine activates the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, cingulate cortex, and frontal lobes. This activation is very consistent with functional systems subserving arousal and reinforcement. 

Frontotemporal dementia involves an early and primary degenerative process of frontal and/or temporal cortex. Several disorders fall under this rubric, such as Pick s disease and the dementia associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a degenerative disease of upper motor neurons that is sometimes accompanied by a frontal lobe dementia (Vercelletto et al. 1999 Abe et al. 1997). ALS has been associated with mutations in the free radical scavenging enzyme superoxide dismutase 1 (Price et al. 1997). Pick s disease is associated histologically with a loss of neurons and cytoplasmic Pick bodies in surviving neurons. 

Multiple-dose arecoline infusions in Alzheimer s disease. Arch Gen Psychiatiy. 45(10) 901-5. Taylor AE, Saint-Cyr JA, Lang AE. (1986). Frontal lobe dysfunction in Parkinson s disease. The cortical focus of neostriatal outflow. Brain. Oct. 109(pt 5) 845-83. 

CYP26A1 mRNA in human cerebellum, less in cerebral cortex, medulla, occipital pole, frontal lobe, and temporal lobe (White et al., 2000). 

Sugama S, Kimura A, Chen W, Kubota S, Sepma Y, et al. 2001. Frontal lobe dementia with abnormal cholesterol metabolism and heterozygous mutation in sterol 27-hydroxylase gene CYP27). J Inherit Metab Dis 24 379-392. 

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