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 (from Greek κύτος 'cell' and ἀρχιτεκτονική 'architecture'), also known as cytoarchitectonics, is the study of the cellular composition of the central nervous system's tissues under the microscope. Cytoarchit ...

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. It is the largest site of Neuron, neural integration in the central nervous system, and plays ...

. 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 area ...

, which is between the ventrolateral extreme of the

central sulcus In neuroanatomy, the central sulcus (also central fissure, fissure of Rolando, or Rolandic fissure, after Luigi Rolando) is a sulcus, or groove, in the cerebral cortex in the brains of vertebrates. It is sometimes confused with the longitudinal ...

and the depth of the

lateral sulcus The lateral sulcus (or lateral fissure, also called Sylvian fissure, after Franciscus Sylvius) is the most prominent sulcus (neuroanatomy), sulcus of each cerebral hemisphere in the human brain. The lateral sulcus (neuroanatomy), sulcus is a deep ...

, 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 In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit changes in pres ...

and to oral intake (eating and drinking). Because eating and drinking change pressure on the middle ear and

, Brodmann Area 43 may be the

primary somatosensory cortex In neuroanatomy, the primary somatosensory cortex is located in the postcentral gyrus of the brain's parietal lobe, and is part of the somatosensory system. It was initially defined from surface stimulation studies of Wilder Penfield, and parallel ...

of the

. 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 disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts (an ''obsession'') and feels the need to perform certain routines (''Compulsive behavior, compulsions'') repeatedly to relieve the dis ...

the right Brodmann area 43 was found to have increased connectivity. 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.

References

External links

* For Neuroanatomy of the subcentral area 43 visi
BrainInfo
{{Prosencephalon 43 Parietal lobe

Location

Function

In lower monkeys

See also

References

External links