Frontal Lobe

Quick facts:

  1. Location: Frontal and upper area of the cortex
  2. Function: Carries out higher mental processes such as thinking, decision making, and planning

Frontal Lobe

You use your frontal lobe nearly everyday. You use it to make decisions, such as what to eat or drink for breakfast in the morning, as well as for thinking or studying for a test. The frontal lobe is also where our personality is formed and where we can carry out higher mental processes such as planning. In addition, the frontal lobe is necessary to being able to speak fluently (without fault) and meaningfully.

Fun Fact

Replica skull of Phineas Gage before accident

In the mid 1800s, Phineas Gage, a railroad worker, miraculously survived an accident where a large iron pole was said to have been driven into his head, specifically into the frontal lobe. After the incident, Gage’s personality was said to have changed drastically, or a lot. His friends claimed that the once kind and hard working Gage had changed after the accident to a lazy and rude man until he died years later. However, this incident did allow doctors and psychologists (doctors who study the mind) to analyze the brain and see the importance and functions of the frontal lobe.