The frontal lobe
Frontal lobe · lobus frontalis
The front of your brain, home to planning, self-control, speech and the commands that move your body.
What it does
The frontal lobe is the largest lobe of the brain. Its rear strip, the motor cortex, sends the signals that move your muscles. Further forward, it plans, makes decisions, holds things in mind and puts the brakes on impulses. On the left side, an area called Broca's area helps you produce speech.
Surprising fact
In 1848 a railway worker, Phineas Gage, survived an iron rod blasting through his frontal lobe, and the change in his personality helped scientists link this region to self-control.
Why it matters
The frontal lobe is one of the last parts of the brain to finish maturing, often not until the mid-twenties, which helps explain why teenagers can be more impulsive.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.