Brodmann Area 14 is one of Brodmann's subdivisions 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% consisting o ...

in the

brain A brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as Visual perception, vision. I ...

. It was defined by Brodmann in the

guenon The guenons (, ) are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Cercopithecus'' (). Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names; also, because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys in other genera may have co ...

monkey . While Brodmann, writing in 1909, argued that no equivalent structure existed in humans, later work demonstrated that area 14 has a clear homologue in the human

ventromedial prefrontal cortex The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is a part of the prefrontal cortex in the mammalian brain. The ventral medial prefrontal is located in the frontal lobe at the bottom of the cerebral hemispheres and is implicated in the processing of r ...

Anatomy

Brodmann areas were defined based on

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 ...

rather than function. Area 14 differs most clearly from

Brodmann area 13 Brodmann area 13 is part of the Orbitofrontal cortex, a subdivision of the cerebral cortex as defined by cytoarchitecture. Location Brodmann area 13 is located in the posterior part of the Orbitofrontal cortex , and can be subdivided into areas ...

-1905 in that it lacks a distinct internal granular layer (IV). Other differences are a less distinct external granular layer (II), a widening of the relatively cell-free zone of the external

pyramidal layer A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilater ...

(III); cells in the internal pyramidal layer (V) are denser and rounded; and the cells of the multiform layer (VI) assume a more distinct tangential orientation.

Function

According to one theory, Area 14 is believed to serve as association cortex for the

visceral In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

senses and

olfaction The sense of smell, or olfaction, is the special sense through which smells (or odors) are perceived. The sense of smell has many functions, including detecting desirable foods, hazards, and pheromones, and plays a role in taste. In humans, ...

along with Area 51. Its anatomical inputs also suggest that it helps to aggregate autonomic information.

References

External links

For internal structures and additional information on area 14 see BrainInfo
{{Prosencephalon 14

Anatomy

Function

See also

References

External links