Medial frontal lobe

The medial frontal lobe refers to the inner (medial) portion of the frontal lobe, located along the midline of the brain, above the corpus callosum. It plays a crucial role in cognitive control, decision-making, emotional regulation, and social behavior.

### Key Structures in the Medial Frontal Lobe: 1. Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC):

  1. Involved in cognitive control, emotion regulation, and pain processing.
  2. Dysfunction is associated with depression, anxiety, and OCD.

2. Pre-supplementary Motor Area (pre-SMA) & Supplementary Motor Area (SMA):

  1. Important for planning and initiating voluntary movements.
  2. Implicated in motor disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

3. Medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC):

  1. Plays a role in self-referential thinking, decision-making, and social cognition.
  2. Involved in understanding the thoughts and emotions of others (theory of mind).

4. Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) (partially medial):

  1. Regulates reward-based decision-making and emotional responses.
  2. Dysfunction can lead to impulsivity and poor judgment.

### Functions of the Medial Frontal Lobe: - Executive Function & Decision-Making:

  1. Helps in goal-oriented behavior and adapting to new situations.

- Emotion & Social Behavior:

  1. Plays a role in empathy, morality, and understanding social norms.

- Motor Control:

  1. Contributes to voluntary movement planning and execution.

- Damage to the medial frontal lobe can result in:

  1. Apathy and lack of motivation (abulia)
  2. Poor decision-making and impulse control
  3. Deficits in emotional and social cognition (e.g., autism, schizophrenia)
  4. Akinesia (difficulty initiating movement) in disorders like Parkinson’s disease.
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  • Last modified: 2025/02/18 12:47
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