Brodmann area 22

Brodmann area 22 inside the lateral sulcus

Brodmann area 22 (BA22) is a region of the cerebral cortex in the human brain, located in the superior temporal gyrus. It is part of the temporal lobe and plays a crucial role in the processing of auditory information and language comprehension.

Anatomy

Brodmann area 22 cytoarchitectonics

Brodmann area 22 is situated in the superior temporal gyrus, which is located in the temporal lobe of the brain. This area is bordered by Brodmann area 21 anteriorly and Brodmann area 42 posteriorly. The superior temporal gyrus is involved in the processing of sounds and is a critical region for the comprehension of spoken language.

Function

Brodmann area 22 is primarily associated with the processing of auditory information and is involved in the comprehension of language. It is part of the Wernicke's area, which is crucial for language comprehension. Damage to this area can result in Wernicke's aphasia, a condition characterized by difficulties in understanding spoken language, while speech production remains relatively fluent but nonsensical.

Cytoarchitecture

The cytoarchitecture of Brodmann area 22 is characterized by a distinct layering of neurons, which differentiates it from other cortical areas. This area is part of the neocortex, which is involved in higher-order brain functions such as sensory perception, cognition, and language.

Clinical significance

Damage to Brodmann area 22 can lead to significant language deficits, particularly in the comprehension of spoken language. This is often observed in patients with Wernicke's aphasia, where individuals may produce fluent speech that lacks meaning and have difficulty understanding language.

Related pages

• Brodmann area 21
• Brodmann area 42
• Wernicke's area
• Temporal lobe
• Wernicke's aphasia

Human temporal lobe areas