Broca’s area (part of the brain): functions and its relation to language.

This region of the left cerebral lobe is responsible for specific aspects of language use.

Broca's area is one of the parts of the brain which has received that has received the most attention in research into the neurobiological mechanisms that explain our use of language, whether spoken or written. The reason for this is that clinical studies related to this area of the cerebral cortex show that there are different parts specialized in different aspects of language.

In this article we will see what Broca's area is and how it is related to the use of language, through a summary of the characteristics of this part of the brain.

Broca's area: what is it?

Throughout history, attempts to understand the functioning of the brain have led to attempts to study the mental processes carried out by parts of the brain, as if they were systems relatively isolated from the rest. Broca's area was one of the first regions of the central nervous system to be associated with a specific mental process distinct from the rest. a concrete mental process differentiated from the rest.

Broca's area is the part of the brain that is responsible for the articulation of language in any language. articulation of language in any of its forms.. Thus, in both writing and speech, this portion of the central nervous system specializes in the production of a message with internal coherence and articulated by means of the corresponding language fractions, whether letters or phonemes. That is to say, it functions by making possible the use of language in an abstract sense, without being constrained either to speech alone or to reading and writing alone.

However, it is also true that no part of the brain functions completely independently from the rest of the structures of the nervous system. Although Broca's area is often referred to as a brain structure associated with language, we should not forget that it does not work in parallel to the rest of the nerve cells, but is coordinated with very extensive neuronal networks distributed throughout the brain, and that without them it would not be able to perform its functions.

Location of this part of the cerebral cortex

Broca's area is located in the third frontal gyrus (in the frontal lobe) of the left cerebral hemisphere, although in some exceptional cases it is located in the right hemisphere. Specifically, according to Brodmann's map, it occupies Brodmann's areas 44 and 45. Brodmann areas 44 and 45Brodmann's areas 44 and 45, near the eye and attached to the frontal part of the temporal lobe.

It should be noted, however, that the exact location of Broca's area may vary slightly from one individual to another, and there are even cases in which it is visibly displaced compared to the average human brain. This is because no two brains are alike due to genetic differences and the effect of brain plasticity over time: descriptions of the cerebral cortex speak of general patterns, not exact rules.

Broca's aphasia

The discovery of Broca's area came from clinical cases in which patients with this damaged area were unable to write and pronounce well even though they could understand what was said to them. This led to the establishment of the existence of a syndrome known as Broca's aphasia. a syndrome known as Broca's aphasiacharacterized by all the typical symptoms that appear when there is a lesion in Broca's area and other parts of the brain have been relatively preserved.

Specifically, the main symptoms are the following:

• Problems when repeating words. repeating words.
• Lack of fluency when attempting to speak or write..
• The ability to understand texts and spoken language is preserved.

This syndrome is especially distinguished from another type of aphasia related to a part of the brain called Wernicke's area. This is Wernicke's aphasia, in which, in comparison to Broca's aphasia, language and writing are much more fluent, but the ability to give meaning to what is said or what is read or heard is lost, so that you do not understand what others are saying.

It should be noted that when one part of the brain is injured, either Broca's or Wernicke's area, other parts of the brain are also indirectly affected, so the symptoms that appear are not an exact reflection of the tasks performed by these parts.

Is it possible to cure the diseases associated with this type of lesions?

In general, neurological disorders resulting from injuries to the brain cannot be cured by medical procedures, although there are rehabilitation treatments that help to mitigate their symptoms. On the other hand, brain plasticity can cause the brain to "adapt" to the injury over time and learn to make other parts of the brain "adapt" to the injury. and learns to make other parts of the brain perform the functions that were performed by the injured area.

Functions of this brain region

Currently, Broca's area is associated with these main mental functions and processes:

• Language production.
• It contributes to create spoken or written language, establishing chains of words and letters or phonemes.
• Regulation of speech-related gestures linked to speech.
• When we speak, we usually move other parts of our body so that this information complements what we are pronouncing aloud. All this, moreover, occurs spontaneously, and it is thanks to the work of Broca's area.
• Recognition of grammatical structures.
• Broca's area reacts in a specific way when reading or speaking aloud. c**** when reading or listening to a poorly grammatically constructed sentence.
• Regulation of phoneme pronunciation.
• This part of the left frontal lobe is also in charge of monitoring the pronounced phonemesThis part of the left frontal lobe is also responsible for monitoring the pronounced phonemes, so that it recognizes when a section of the word does not sound as it should.
• Speech rate regulation.

In addition, Broca's area is also in charge of working with another important element of spoken language production: timing. In this way, it allows us to give our speech the right rhythm. On the other hand, in the phase immediately prior to pronunciation, it inhibits the appearance of phonemes other than the one that corresponds to each part of the word.

It must be taken into account that neurosciences are constantly advancing, and therefore what is known today about what tasks Broca's area performs is possibly only the tip of the iceberg.

On the other hand, we must avoid falling into the simplistic belief that Broca's area "produces" language.. Different parts of the brain may specialize more or less in different psychological functions, but they always work together, in coordination with each other. They need each other, and what happens in them is not isolated from the rest of the biopsychological phenomena that take place in thousands of other parts of the nervous system and the organism in general.

Its relationship with Wernicke's area

As we have seen, Broca's area is a proof that not all parts of Broca's evidence that not all parts of the brain are in charge of doing the same thing.. Even language, which is apparently a single ability, is composed of many others that can be separated.

Wernicke's area is the other major language area involved in the use of this mental faculty. That is why it communicates with Broca's area by means of a set of neuronal axons directed towards the frontal part. Lesions in one or the other area, or in the set of axons that communicates both, produce different types of aphasias.

Bibliographical references:

• Ardila, A.; Bernal, B.; Rosselli, M. (2016). «How Localized are Language Brain Areas? A Review of Brodmann Areas Involvement in Oral Language». Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 31(1): pp. 112 - 122.
• Binkofski, F., Amunts, K., Stephan, K.M., Posse, S., Schormann, T., Freund, H.J., Zilles, K., Seitz, R.J. (2000). "Broca's region subserves imagery of motion: a combined cytoarchitectonic and fMRI study". Human Brain Mapping. 11 (4): 273 - 285.
• Caplan, D. (2006). "Why is Broca's area involved in syntax?". Cortex; A Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior. 42 (4): 469–71.
• Fadiga, L., Craighero, L. (2006). "Hand actions and speech representation in Broca's area". Cortex; A Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior. 42 (4): 486–90.