Cerebral Cortex: Lobes, Brodmann Areas, and Functional Regions
Complete anatomy of the cerebral cortex - the six lobes, Brodmann areas, primary sensory and motor areas, association cortices, and hemispheric specialization.
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The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of the cerebrum, responsible for higher cognitive functions, sensory processing, and motor command generation. It is characterized by its folded appearance (gyri and sulci) and layered cellular organization.
Gross Anatomy: Gyri and Sulci
Major Sulci and Fissures
Sulcus/Fissure
Location
Significance
Longitudinal fissure
Midline, separates hemispheres
Contains falx cerebri, anterior cerebral arteries
Lateral sulcus (Sylvian)
Separates frontal/parietal from temporal
Contains middle cerebral artery
Central sulcus (Rolando)
Separates frontal from parietal
Primary motor (anterior) and sensory (posterior)
Parieto-occipital sulcus
Medial, separates parietal from occipital
Visual cortex boundary
Calcarine sulcus
Medial occipital
Contains primary visual cortex (area 17)
Cingulate sulcus
Medial frontal/parietal
Above cingulate gyrus
Preoccipital notch
Lateral temporo-occipital
Visual association boundary
Major Gyri
Gyrus
Location
Function
Precentral gyrus
Anterior to central sulcus
Primary motor cortex (M1)
Postcentral gyrus
Posterior to central sulcus
Primary somatosensory cortex (S1)
Superior temporal gyrus
Superior temporal lobe
Primary auditory cortex (Heschl gyrus)
Middle temporal gyrus
Middle temporal lobe
Language, auditory association
Inferior temporal gyrus
Inferior temporal lobe
Object recognition, visual association
Fusiform gyrus
Inferior temporal/occipital
Face recognition (fusiform face area)
Parahippocampal gyrus
Medial temporal
Memory, scene recognition
Lingual gyrus
Medial occipital
Visual processing
Cuneus
Medial occipital (above calcarine)
Visual
Precuneus
Medial parietal
Visuospatial, self-awareness
Angular gyrus
Posterior superior temporal
Language, mathematical cognition
Supramarginal gyrus
Parietal operculum
Tactile perception, language
Straight gyrus (gyrus rectus)
Orbitofrontal
Olfactory, behavior
Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
Frontal Lobe
The frontal lobe is the largest lobe, responsible for motor function, executive control, and language production.
Area
Brodmann
Function
Primary motor cortex (M1)
4
Voluntary movement (contralateral)
Premotor cortex
6
Motor planning, sequencing
Supplementary motor area
6 (medial)
Motor initiation, bimanual coordination
Frontal eye field
8
Voluntary eye movements
Broca area
44, 45
Speech production (dominant hemisphere)
Dorsolateral prefrontal
9, 46
Executive function, working memory
Orbitofrontal cortex
10, 11, 47
Decision-making, reward, social behavior
Anterior cingulate (frontal portion)
24, 32
Error detection, motivation
Parietal Lobe
The parietal lobe integrates sensory information and spatial awareness.
Area
Brodmann
Function
Primary somatosensory (S1)
1, 2, 3
Touch, pain, temperature, proprioception
Secondary somatosensory (S2)
43
Tactile recognition
Posterior parietal cortex
5, 7
Spatial attention, visuomotor integration
Supramarginal gyrus
40
Tactile object recognition, language
Angular gyrus
39
Reading, arithmetic, semantic processing
Precuneus
7 (medial)
Visuospatial imagery, episodic memory
Temporal Lobe
The temporal lobe processes auditory information, language comprehension, and memory.
Area
Brodmann
Function
Primary auditory cortex (A1)
41, 42
Hearing (tonotopic organization)
Auditory association
22
Sound recognition, language comprehension
Wernicke area
22 (posterior)
Language comprehension (dominant)
Middle temporal gyrus
21
Auditory association, semantic memory
Inferior temporal cortex
20, 37
Object recognition, visual association
Fusiform face area
37 (lateral)
Face recognition
Parahippocampal place area
36, 37
Scene recognition
Hippocampus (archicortex)
—
Memory formation, spatial navigation
Amygdala
—
Emotion, fear conditioning
Occipital Lobe
The occipital lobe is dedicated entirely to visual processing.
Area
Brodmann
Function
Primary visual cortex (V1)
17
Initial visual processing (retinotopic)
Visual association (V2)
18
Contour, orientation processing
Visual association (V3, V4, V5)
19
Motion (V5/MT), color (V4), form
Lateral occipital complex
19, 37
Object recognition
Insula
The insula is a hidden lobe deep within the lateral sulcus.
Region
Function
Anterior insula
Interoception, emotion, taste, pain
Posterior insula
Visceral sensation, sensorimotor
Limbic Lobe
The limbic lobe forms a ring on the medial surface of the cerebrum.
Structure
Function
Cingulate gyrus
Emotion, pain, attention
Parahippocampal gyrus
Memory, scene recognition
Isthmus (bridge between cingulate and parahippocampal)
Visual memory
Brodmann Areas
Brodmann areas are numbered regions of the cerebral cortex defined by their cytoarchitecture (cellular organization). The numbering system includes 52 areas.
Key Brodmann Areas by Category
Motor areas:
Area
Name
Function
BA 4
Primary motor cortex (M1)
Voluntary movement
BA 6
Premotor cortex, SMA
Motor planning
BA 8
Frontal eye field
Eye movements
BA 44
Pars opercularis
Broca area (speech)
BA 45
Pars triangularis
Broca area (language)
Somatosensory areas:
Area
Name
Function
BA 1
Primary somatosensory
Texture perception
BA 2
Primary somatosensory
Proprioception, joint position
BA 3
Primary somatosensory
Cutaneous sensation
Visual areas:
Area
Name
Function
BA 17
Primary visual (V1)
Initial visual processing
BA 18
Visual association (V2)
Contour, orientation
BA 19
Visual association (V3, V4, V5)
Motion, color, form
Auditory areas:
Area
Name
Function
BA 41
Primary auditory (A1)
Hearing
BA 42
Auditory association
Sound recognition
Association areas:
Area
Name
Function
BA 9, 10
Dorsolateral prefrontal
Executive function
BA 11, 47
Orbitofrontal
Decision-making, reward
BA 22
Superior temporal
Wernicke area (language comprehension)
BA 39
Angular gyrus
Reading, arithmetic
BA 40
Supramarginal gyrus
Tactile recognition, language
BA 37
Fusiform gyrus
Face/object recognition
Cortical Layers
The neocortex has six layers (laminae):
Layer
Name
Cells
Connections
I
Molecular
Few neurons, mainly dendrites
Apical dendrites of pyramidal cells
II
External granular
Small pyramidal and stellate cells
Corticocortical connections
III
External pyramidal
Medium pyramidal cells
Commissural and association fibers
IV
Internal granular
Stellate cells
Main input layer (thalamic afferents)
V
Internal pyramidal
Large pyramidal (Betz cells in M1)
Output to subcortical structures
VI
Multiform
Fusiform cells
Output to thalamus
Cortical types by layer prominence:
Type
Prominent Layer
Location
Granular (koniocortex)
Layer IV
Primary sensory areas
Agranular
Layer IV absent (layers II/III/V prominent)
Primary motor, premotor
Dysgranular
Layer IV thin
Association areas
Hemispheric Specialization
Function
Dominant Hemisphere (usually left)
Non-Dominant Hemisphere (usually right)
Language
Comprehension and production
Prosody, emotional tone
Motor praxis
Skilled movement planning
—
Visuospatial
—
Spatial attention, navigation
Face recognition
—
Holistic face processing
Emotion
—
Emotional recognition
Music
Rhythm
Pitch, melody
Arithmetic
Calculation
Estimation
White Matter Tracts
Tract Type
Examples
Function
Association fibers (within hemisphere)
Superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, uncinate, arcuate, cingulum
Connect cortical regions in same hemisphere
Commissural fibers (between hemispheres)
Corpus callosum, anterior commissure, hippocampal commissure
Connect corresponding cortical areas
Projection fibers (to/from subcortex)
Internal capsule, corona radiata, fornix
Connect cortex to brainstem, spinal cord, basal ganglia, thalamus