Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDevelopmentAnatomyConditions Affecting ItDiagnosisSupporting FunctioningTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Development
Anatomy
Conditions Affecting It
Diagnosis
Supporting Functioning
Treatment
The frontal lobe is the front portion ofthe brainand the largest of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex. It controls thinking skills, reasoning, self-control, and motor function. A person has left and right frontal lobes.
Dementiaoften involves gradually worsening damage to the frontal lobe of the brain, and many different neurological conditions can also affect the frontal lobe—including stroke, brain tumors, and head trauma.
Development From Birth Onward
The brain’s frontal lobestarts to developin utero (before birth). This area of the brain grows rapidly during early childhood. It continues to physically grow and improve skills throughout childhood and adolescence. Frontal lobe functions continue to be refined throughout adulthood.
Frontal lobe development includes:
Male and Female BrainsSome evidence suggests differences in the development of male and female brains. One of these differences is that the prefrontal cortex, a region of the frontal lobe, makes up a relatively higher proportion of female brain size when compared to males.These patterns represent trends rather than absolutes.A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Male and Female Brains
Some evidence suggests differences in the development of male and female brains. One of these differences is that the prefrontal cortex, a region of the frontal lobe, makes up a relatively higher proportion of female brain size when compared to males.These patterns represent trends rather than absolutes.A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Some evidence suggests differences in the development of male and female brains. One of these differences is that the prefrontal cortex, a region of the frontal lobe, makes up a relatively higher proportion of female brain size when compared to males.These patterns represent trends rather than absolutes.
A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Various Functions
The frontal lobe of the brain has many important functions that continue to improve as a person matures.
Frontal lobe functions include:
Anatomy of Frontal Lobe: Parts to Know
The frontal lobe, at the front of the brain, makes up about one-third of the cerebral cortex.The right and left frontal lobes are not physically connected to each other, but they can send messages to the other side through a large structure called the corpus callosum.
Areas of the frontal lobe include:
The Frontal Lobe ParadoxSometimes, people who have damage to the frontal lobe experience significant difficulties with day-to-day life. Yet, they remain able to speak clearly and coherently during a medical evaluation in ways that seem more healthy than would be expected with the level of frontal lobe damage.This phenomenon is described as the frontal lobe paradox, and can sometimes make it challenging for healthcare providers to detect damage to the frontal lobe.
The Frontal Lobe Paradox
Sometimes, people who have damage to the frontal lobe experience significant difficulties with day-to-day life. Yet, they remain able to speak clearly and coherently during a medical evaluation in ways that seem more healthy than would be expected with the level of frontal lobe damage.This phenomenon is described as the frontal lobe paradox, and can sometimes make it challenging for healthcare providers to detect damage to the frontal lobe.
Sometimes, people who have damage to the frontal lobe experience significant difficulties with day-to-day life. Yet, they remain able to speak clearly and coherently during a medical evaluation in ways that seem more healthy than would be expected with the level of frontal lobe damage.
This phenomenon is described as the frontal lobe paradox, and can sometimes make it challenging for healthcare providers to detect damage to the frontal lobe.
Conditions Associated With Frontal Lobe Damage
Many neurological conditions can affect the frontal lobe of the brain. Some preferentially target the frontal lobe, while others can affect any area of the brain, including the frontal lobe.
Diseases that primarily affect the frontal lobe include:
Conditions that can affect the frontal lobe include:
Brain Tumor
A tumor in the frontal lobe of the brain can cause many symptoms. These include weakness on one side of the body, headaches, personality changes, and impaired thinking.
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is a brain infection or inflammatory disorder that can affect the frontal lobe. It has the potential to cause a rapid worsening of symptoms such as seizures, personality changes, confusion, and loss of consciousness.
Head Trauma
Repeated head trauma or a sudden head injury affecting the frontal lobe can have several consequences. These include headaches,brain fog, and even personality changes.
Hypoxia
Brain damage due to oxygen deprivation can occur suddenly during conditions like a heart attack or sudden breathing emergency. This can damage any area of the brain, potentially with permanent effects.
Hypoxic damage to the frontal lobe can cause learning deficits, weakness of one or both sides of the body, and seizures. Newborn hypoxia affects child development.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
This chronic neurological disorder causes the body’s immune system to attack myelin (a fatty substance that covers and protects nerve cells). It can affect any area of the brain or spinal cord, often with relapses and remissions or a chronic worsening of symptoms over time. When it affects the frontal lobe, MS can cause weakness, brain fog, and fatigue.
Stroke
A stroke is a blockage of a blood vessel leading to the brain or bleeding within the brain. A stroke in the frontal lobe of the brain can cause sudden symptoms, which can include personality changes, memory impairment, or weakness on one side of the body.
Symptoms and Treatment for Frontal Lobe Damage
Scans and Testing
Damage to the frontal lobe is diagnosed based on a combination of a physical examination and brain scans.
A neurological assessment of the frontal lobe requires specialized testing of motor skills and cognitive skills. Brain scans, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can often show areas of abnormalities or damage in the frontal lobe.
Frontal lobe disorders that can be identified with brain imaging include:
Damage from hypoxia, head trauma, or encephalitis can sometimes be identified with brain imaging. Highly specialized brain imaging tests may detect changes in the frontal lobe that are associated with dementia.
Ways to Support Functioning
A key to engaging your frontal lobe is to continue to challenge yourself in positive ways. Activities that can help engage your frontal lobe include:
Lifestyle habits that can help prevent frontal lobe damage include:
Medical Treatment
If you or a loved one has experienced damage to the frontal lobe, there are treatment options. An accurate diagnosis will help guide treatment. Therapeutic interventions will include treatment for the cause of frontal lobe damage and rehabilitation to help improve skills.
Examples of treatments for conditions affecting the frontal lobe include:
Rehabilitation after frontal lobe damage can include cognitive therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and social skills training.
Overcoming Speech Impediment: Symptoms to Treatment
Summary
The frontal lobe is a large area of the brain that controls many physical and cognitive functions. The frontal lobe coordinates with different regions of the brain to handle tasks. The frontal lobe begins to develop during the prenatal months, grows physically and gains function during childhood, and continues to adapt and learn throughout life.
Frontal Lobotomy and Medical Ethics
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hettwer MD, Dorfschmidt L, Puhlmann LMC, et al.Longitudinal variation in resilient psychosocial functioning is associated with ongoing cortical myelination and functional reorganization during adolescence.Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):6283. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-50292-2National Institute of Health.Sex differences in brain anatomy.Ng CT, Huang PH, Cho YC, et al.Frontoparietal and salience network synchronizations during nonsymbolic magnitude processing predict brain age and mathematical performance in youth.Hum Brain Mapp. 2024;45(11):e26777. doi:10.1002/hbm.26777Tsunoda S, Inoue T, Ohwaki K, et al.Influence of an improvement in frontal lobe hemodynamics on neurocognitive function in adult patients with moyamoya disease.Neurosurg Rev.2024;47(1):395. doi:10.1007/s10143-024-02639-yGiroud N, Keller M, Meyer M.Interacting effects of frontal lobe neuroanatomy and working memory capacity to older listeners' speech recognition in noise.Neuropsychologia.2021;158:107892. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107892Furuta T, Morita T, Miura G, Naito E.Structural and functional features characterizing the brains of individuals with higher controllability of motor imagery.Sci Rep.2024;14(1):17243. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-68425-4Elkana O.Navigating the “frontal lobe paradox”: integrating Real-Life Tasks (RLTs) approach into neuropsychological evaluations.Front Psychol.2024;15:1394483. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1394483DeRight J.History of “frontal” syndromes and executive dysfunction.Front Neurol Neurosci.2019;44:100-107. doi:10.1159/000494957Rosch KS, Mostofsky S.Development of the frontal lobe.Handb Clin Neurol.2019;163:351-367. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804281-6.00019-7
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hettwer MD, Dorfschmidt L, Puhlmann LMC, et al.Longitudinal variation in resilient psychosocial functioning is associated with ongoing cortical myelination and functional reorganization during adolescence.Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):6283. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-50292-2National Institute of Health.Sex differences in brain anatomy.Ng CT, Huang PH, Cho YC, et al.Frontoparietal and salience network synchronizations during nonsymbolic magnitude processing predict brain age and mathematical performance in youth.Hum Brain Mapp. 2024;45(11):e26777. doi:10.1002/hbm.26777Tsunoda S, Inoue T, Ohwaki K, et al.Influence of an improvement in frontal lobe hemodynamics on neurocognitive function in adult patients with moyamoya disease.Neurosurg Rev.2024;47(1):395. doi:10.1007/s10143-024-02639-yGiroud N, Keller M, Meyer M.Interacting effects of frontal lobe neuroanatomy and working memory capacity to older listeners' speech recognition in noise.Neuropsychologia.2021;158:107892. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107892Furuta T, Morita T, Miura G, Naito E.Structural and functional features characterizing the brains of individuals with higher controllability of motor imagery.Sci Rep.2024;14(1):17243. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-68425-4Elkana O.Navigating the “frontal lobe paradox”: integrating Real-Life Tasks (RLTs) approach into neuropsychological evaluations.Front Psychol.2024;15:1394483. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1394483DeRight J.History of “frontal” syndromes and executive dysfunction.Front Neurol Neurosci.2019;44:100-107. doi:10.1159/000494957Rosch KS, Mostofsky S.Development of the frontal lobe.Handb Clin Neurol.2019;163:351-367. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804281-6.00019-7
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Hettwer MD, Dorfschmidt L, Puhlmann LMC, et al.Longitudinal variation in resilient psychosocial functioning is associated with ongoing cortical myelination and functional reorganization during adolescence.Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):6283. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-50292-2National Institute of Health.Sex differences in brain anatomy.Ng CT, Huang PH, Cho YC, et al.Frontoparietal and salience network synchronizations during nonsymbolic magnitude processing predict brain age and mathematical performance in youth.Hum Brain Mapp. 2024;45(11):e26777. doi:10.1002/hbm.26777Tsunoda S, Inoue T, Ohwaki K, et al.Influence of an improvement in frontal lobe hemodynamics on neurocognitive function in adult patients with moyamoya disease.Neurosurg Rev.2024;47(1):395. doi:10.1007/s10143-024-02639-yGiroud N, Keller M, Meyer M.Interacting effects of frontal lobe neuroanatomy and working memory capacity to older listeners' speech recognition in noise.Neuropsychologia.2021;158:107892. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107892Furuta T, Morita T, Miura G, Naito E.Structural and functional features characterizing the brains of individuals with higher controllability of motor imagery.Sci Rep.2024;14(1):17243. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-68425-4Elkana O.Navigating the “frontal lobe paradox”: integrating Real-Life Tasks (RLTs) approach into neuropsychological evaluations.Front Psychol.2024;15:1394483. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1394483DeRight J.History of “frontal” syndromes and executive dysfunction.Front Neurol Neurosci.2019;44:100-107. doi:10.1159/000494957Rosch KS, Mostofsky S.Development of the frontal lobe.Handb Clin Neurol.2019;163:351-367. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804281-6.00019-7
Hettwer MD, Dorfschmidt L, Puhlmann LMC, et al.Longitudinal variation in resilient psychosocial functioning is associated with ongoing cortical myelination and functional reorganization during adolescence.Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):6283. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-50292-2
National Institute of Health.Sex differences in brain anatomy.
Ng CT, Huang PH, Cho YC, et al.Frontoparietal and salience network synchronizations during nonsymbolic magnitude processing predict brain age and mathematical performance in youth.Hum Brain Mapp. 2024;45(11):e26777. doi:10.1002/hbm.26777
Tsunoda S, Inoue T, Ohwaki K, et al.Influence of an improvement in frontal lobe hemodynamics on neurocognitive function in adult patients with moyamoya disease.Neurosurg Rev.2024;47(1):395. doi:10.1007/s10143-024-02639-y
Giroud N, Keller M, Meyer M.Interacting effects of frontal lobe neuroanatomy and working memory capacity to older listeners' speech recognition in noise.Neuropsychologia.2021;158:107892. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107892
Furuta T, Morita T, Miura G, Naito E.Structural and functional features characterizing the brains of individuals with higher controllability of motor imagery.Sci Rep.2024;14(1):17243. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-68425-4
Elkana O.Navigating the “frontal lobe paradox”: integrating Real-Life Tasks (RLTs) approach into neuropsychological evaluations.Front Psychol.2024;15:1394483. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1394483
DeRight J.History of “frontal” syndromes and executive dysfunction.Front Neurol Neurosci.2019;44:100-107. doi:10.1159/000494957
Rosch KS, Mostofsky S.Development of the frontal lobe.Handb Clin Neurol.2019;163:351-367. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804281-6.00019-7
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
