The frontal lobe is made up of the precentral cortex, prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and the excellent mesial and inferior mesial regions. Each area has a single function. But the frontal lobe, in general, is the brain's emotional center and is responsible for higher functioning. Although this is true, no part of the brain works in isolation.
Frontal lobe injuries can work on motor functions, question solving, memory, communal and sexual behavior. It can also work on language skills, impulse control and make changes to the personality. The damage incurred affects feelings of empathy, sympathy, humor and whether proper judgments are made.
Functions of the frontal lobe areas involves the quality to recognize hereafter consequences resulting from current actions, an quality to select between good and bad actions and to recognize the similarity or differences between things.
The frontal lobe assists in retaining long term memories. When this area has been injured, reasoning flexibility will be impaired. Talking may increase or decrease dramatically. Also, there may be impaired perceptions, potential loss of taste or smell, potential concentration difficulties which will make a man certainly distracted. reasoning may be inflexible showing perseveration which is an inability to switch from one line of reasoning to another. Those with frontal lobe injuries may also lack motivation, the quality to plan and compose and may have difficulty making decisions. Abstract and complex reasoning may also be problematic.
Damages such as these often make holding a job more difficult because of the inability to accomplish work consistently and because question solving and motor skills have ordinarily been affected.
The hope of successfully returning to work is through rehabilitation. The multidisciplinary arrival to recovery is mostly favored which includes specialists from neurology, psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and cognitive therapy. Other recovery is developing strategies to overcome deficits. It is foremost that recovery encourage, motivate and empower.
Rehabilitation involves working on functions that can be restored and learning how to do things differently. Neuro-functional strengths and weaknesses are considered. After strengths are developed, more complex skills can be added. The large brain skills must be retrained or advanced before the small skills can be developed. And this must happen before intellectual action can be worked on and be successful.
When there has been an injury to the frontal lobes, recovery is foremost and the goal is to help individuals strengthen to the most independent level of functioning possible.
Frontal Lobe Injuries and Their Resulting Damage