Brodmann area

    A Brodmann area is a region in the brain cortex defined in many different species based on its cytoarchitecture. Cytoarchitecture is the organization of the cortex as observed when a tissue is stained for nerve cells.

Brodmann areas were originally defined by Korbinian Brodmann and referred to by numbers from 1 to 52. Some of the original areas have been subdivided further and referred to, e.g., as "23a" and "23b". The same number in different species does not necessarily represent structurally homologous areas.

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Brodmann areas for human & non-human primates

• Areas 1, 2 & 3 - Primary Somatosensory Cortex (frequently referred to as Areas 3, 1, 2 by convention)
• Area 4 - Primary Motor Cortex
• Area 5 - Somatosensory Association Cortex
• Area 6 - Pre-Motor and Supplementary Motor Cortex (Secondary Motor Cortex)
• Area 7 - Somatosensory Association Cortex
• Area 8 - Includes Frontal eye fields
• Area 9 - Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
• Area 10 - Frontopolar area (most rostral part of superior and middle frontal gyri)
• Area 11 - Orbitofrontal area (orbital and rectus gyri, plus part of the rostral part of the superior frontal gyrus)
• Area 12 - Orbitofrontal area (used to be part of BA11, refers to the area between the superior frontal gyrus and the inferior rostral sulcus)
• Area 13 and Area 14^* - Insular cortex
• Area 15^* - Anterior Temporal Lobe
• Area 17 - Primary Visual Cortex (V1)
• Area 18 - Visual Association Cortex (V2)
• Area 19 - V3
• Area 20 - Inferior Temporal gyrus
• Area 21 - Middle Temporal gyrus
• Area 22 - Superior Temporal Gyrus, of which the rostral part participates to Wernicke's area
• Area 23 - Ventral Posterior cingulate cortex
• Area 24 - Ventral Anterior cingulate cortex
• Area 25 - Subgenual cortex
• Area 26 - Ectosplenial area
• Area 28 - Posterior Entorhinal Cortex
• Area 29 - Retrosplenial cingular cortex
• Area 30 - Part of cingular cortex
• Area 31 - Dorsal Posterior cingular cortex
• Area 32 - Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex
• Area 34 - Anterior Entorhinal Cortex (on the Parahippocampal gyrus)
• Area 35 - Perirhinal cortex (on the Parahippocampal gyrus)
• Area 36 - Parahippocampal cortex (on the Parahippocampal gyrus)
• Area 37 - Fusiform gyrus
• Area 38 - Temporopolar area (most rostral part of the superior and middle temporal gyri
• Area 39 - Angular gyrus, part of Wernicke's area
• Area 40 - Supramarginal gyrus part of Wernicke's area
• Areas 41 & 42 - Primary and Auditory Association Cortex
• Area 43 - Subcentral area (between insula and post/precentral gyrus)
• Area 44 - pars opercularis, part of Broca's area
• Area 45 - pars triangularis Broca's area
• Area 46 - Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
• Area 47 - Inferior prefrontal gyrus
• Area 48 - Retrosubicular area (a small part of the medial surface of the temporal lobe)
• Area 52 - Parainsular area (at the junction of the temporal lobe and the insula)

(*) Area only found in non-human primates.

Criticism

When von Bonin and Bailey were to construct a brain map for the macaque 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^[1]

They instead used the cytoarchitechtonic scheme of Constantin von Economo and Georg N. Koskinas published in 1925 which had the "only acceptable detailed description of the human cortex".

See also

• Brain
• Cortical area
• List of regions in the human brain

References