Brodmann area 43, the subcentral area, is a structurally distinct area of the cerebral cortex defined on the basis of cytoarchitecture. Along with Brodmann Area 1, 2, and 3, Brodmann area 43 is a subdivision of the postcentral region of the brain,
[Garey LJ. Brodmann's Localisation in the Cerebral Cortex. New York : Springer, 2006 () ()] suggesting a somatosensory ('feeling of the body') function. The histological structure of Area 43 was initially described by Korbinian Brodmann, but it was not labeled on his map of cortical areas.
[Brodmann, Korobian. Vergleichende Lokalisationslehre der Grosshirnrinde: in ihren Prinzipien dargestellt auf Grund des Zellenbaues. Ja Barth, 1909.]
Location
In the human ''subcentral area 43'', a sub area of the
cytoarchitecture
Cytoarchitecture ( Greek '' κύτος''= "cell" + '' ἀρχιτεκτονική''= "architecture"), also known as cytoarchitectonics, is the study of the cellular composition of the central nervous system's tissues under the microscope. Cytoarc ...
is defined in the postcentral region of the
cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals. The cerebral cortex mostly consists of the six-layered neocortex, with just 10% consistin ...
. It occupies the
postcentral gyrus
In neuroanatomy, the postcentral gyrus is a prominent gyrus in the lateral parietal lobe of the human brain. It is the location of the primary somatosensory cortex, the main sensory receptive area for the sense of touch. Like other sensory areas, ...
, which is between the ventrolateral extreme of the
central sulcus and the depth of the
lateral sulcus
In neuroanatomy, the lateral sulcus (also called Sylvian fissure, after Franciscus Sylvius, or lateral fissure) is one of the most prominent features of the human brain. The lateral sulcus is a deep fissure in each hemisphere that separates the ...
, at the
insula. Its rostral and caudal borders are approximated by the
anterior subcentral sulcus and the
posterior subcentral sulcus, respectively. Cytoarchitecturally, it is bounded rostrally, by the
agranular frontal area 6, and caudally, for the most part, by the
caudal postcentral area 2
In neuroanatomy, the postcentral gyrus is a prominent gyrus in the lateral parietal lobe of the human brain. It is the location of the primary somatosensory cortex, the main sensory receptive area for the sense of touch. Like other sensory areas, ...
and the
supramarginal area 40.
Function
Brodmann Area 43 responds to pressure on the
eardrum and to oral intake (eating and drinking). Because eating and drinking change pressure on the middle ear and
eardrum, Brodmann Area 43 may be the
primary somatosensory cortex
In neuroanatomy, the primary somatosensory cortex is located in the postcentral gyrus of the Human brain, brain's parietal lobe, and is part of the somatosensory system. It was initially defined from surface stimulation studies of Wilder Penfield ...
of the
eardrum. However, Brodmann Area 43 is also reported to respond to tactile stimulation of the fingers.
In a small (n=11 vs n=9 controls) fMRI study in children with
obsessive–compulsive disorder
Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental and behavioral disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts and/or feels the need to perform certain routines repeatedly to the extent where it induces distress or impairs general ...
the right Brodmann area 43 was found to have increased
connectivity
Connectivity may refer to:
Computing and technology
* Connectivity (media), the ability of the social media to accumulate economic capital from the users connections and activities
* Internet connectivity, the means by which individual terminal ...
.
Additionally, Brodmann Area 43 was found to be functionally active in a study differentiating the roles of the left-frontal and right-cerebellar regions during semantic analysis. Brodmann Area 43 showed a major increase in functional activation by fMRI, when study participants were asked to complete tasks which involved the selection of a verbal response from many possible responses, rather than a sustained search for a verbal response from few possible responses.
[Gabrieli, John DE, Russell A. Poldrack, and John E. Desmond. "The role of left prefrontal cortex in language and memory." Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences 95.3 (1998): 906-913.]
In lower monkeys
Brodmann initially believed there to be no distinct Area 43 in his map of the lower monkey, the guenon. However, study of the myeloarchitecture of the region, by Theodor Mauss, determined that monkeys possess a structurally distinct area corresponding to the human subcentral area.
It was regarded as cytoarchitecturally
homologous to area 30 of Mauss in 1908. However, research by Cécile and Oskar Vogt found no distinctive
architectonic area of the corresponding location in the guenon.
[Vogt, Cécile, and Oskar Vogt. Allgemeine ergebnisse unserer hirnforschung. Vol. 25. JA Barth, 1919.]
See also
*
Brodmann area
A Brodmann area is a region of the cerebral cortex, in the human or other primate brain, defined by its cytoarchitecture, or histological structure and organization of cells.
History
Brodmann areas were originally defined and numbered by th ...
References
External links
* For Neuroanatomy of the subcentral area 43 visi
BrainInfo
{{Prosencephalon
43
Parietal lobe