Review Question - QID 100034

This woman's history is concerning for an injury to the frontal lobe of the brain.

Frontal lobe syndrome can result in three major categories of frontal lobe disorder: disorganized, disinhibited, and apathetic. Often, patients with prefrontal lobe injuries will experience personality and behavioral changes. These are thought to occur due to impairment of the organizational, motivational, and restraint systems present in that area of the cortex.

Simmons et al. review the evaluation of suspected dementia, including frontal dementia, which can present with many similar symptoms as frontal lobe injury. When dementia or frontal lobe injury are suspected, physicians must obtain a history from the patient as well as a family member or caregiver, as patients often do not have insight into their deficits.

Hanna-Pladdy suggests using the term dysexecutive syndrome to refer to aberrations in executive functions, such as the ability to reason, plan, problem-solve, meet goals, and behave appropriately in a specific situation. These are traditionally considered frontal lobe functions based on well-documented dysfunction in patients with brain damage to the frontal lobes.

Illustration A depicts the various lobes of the brain with their associated functions.

Incorrect Answers:
Answer 1: Injury to Broca's area, the inferior frontal gyrus, would be associated with expressive aphasia.
Answer 2: Injury to the occipital lobe would be associated with visual impairment.
Answer 3: Injury to the temporal lobe might be associated with hallucinations, language comprehension, and memory.
Answer 4: Injury to the motor cortex would result in motor impairment, such as paralysis.