Brodmann's Areas

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It is useful to keep several things in mind:

  1. Brodmann's areas (BAs) shown are just approximations. We can use the sulci and signs discussed on this website to help with this approximation. We can't see discrete borders or areas on clinical images.

  2. This is just one of many different ways to categorize the type of cerebral cortex.

  3. The Brodmann categorization scheme has limitations.

  4. It is based of of the cytoarchitecture (cellular features) of different layers of the cerebral cortex. These different areas have unique functions as well.

  5. Most radiologists don't reference these areas in their clinical reports, although understanding them is useful to learn brain function.


Here are some key BAs that are useful to know:

  1. BAs 1-3. Primary somatosensory cortex

  2. BA 4. Primary somatomotor cortex

  3. BA 17. Primary visual cortex. This is surrounded by shells of visual association cortex (BAs 18-19)

  4. BA 41. Primary auditory cortex.

  5. BAs 44-45. Broca's language area in dominant hemisphere