Frontal Lobes and Executive Functions

The Frontal Lobes and the Executive Center of the Brain

The Frontal lobes have been found to play an important part in attention, concentration, working memory, short term memory, impulse control, judgment, language, problem solving and reasoning. They assist in planning, coordinating, controlling and executive behavior.

Damage to the frontal lobes may result in problems with all aspects of cognitive processing. For instance, it may result in reduced IQ. Lack of inhibition and changes in personality can also occur after an injury to the frontal lobes.

One of the most important parts of the brain that performs complex cognitive processing lies in the frontal lobes of the brain. Called the pre-frontal cortex, it plays a crucial role in coordinating complex cognitive functions such as judging, reasoning, planning, decision-making and behavioral control. It has, therefore, been named the executive center of the brain. The pre-frontal region is also regarded as the location of our working memory. The pre-frontal cortex is directly connected to other centers in the brain including the hippocampus, which regulates our memories by way of deciding what is important to remember for the long run and what isn’t; the amygdale – the part of the brain that deals with the emotional components of memory; and the hypothalamus, which deals with, among other things, the “fight or flight” syndrome - the stress response. The hypothalamus also helps to regulate different vital functions such as body temperature and sleep.

Studies have shown that when the pre-frontal cortex is presented with excessive amounts of slow
brain waves  (which include alpha, theta, delta, or a mix of the three), it goes into an idle, sleep-like mode. In this mode the mind feels muddled. We sometimes feel it when we need to focus on a task but the mind wanders elsewhere. In such instances, the ability to process or retain information is greatly compromised, thereby affecting general mental performance.

Excessive slow brain activity also adversely affects the temporal cortex which controls memory and learning. Both the temporal and pre-frontal lobes are activated in the presence of Beta waves.

Note:

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