Brodmann area 38
by Melody
Brodmann area 38, also known as BA38 or temporopolar area 38 (H), is an exciting region of the human brain located in the anterior end of the temporal lobe, known as the temporal pole. Cytoarchitecturally defined, BA38 is primarily located in the most rostral portions of the superior and middle temporal gyrus, bounded caudally by inferior temporal area 20, middle temporal area 21, superior temporal area 22, and ectorhinal area 36.
The temporal pole is a paralimbic region of the brain that plays an important role in high-level semantic representation and socio-emotional processing. The uncinate fasciculus provides a direct bidirectional path to the orbitofrontal cortex, which allows mnemonic representations stored in the temporal pole to influence decision making in the frontal lobe. In the temporal pole, concepts are stored, imbued with emotional significance and personal meaning, and given abstract representations of individual people.
Interestingly, damage to the temporal pole can lead to a loss of knowledge about familiar people or amnestic prosopagnosia. Additionally, bilateral damage to the temporal pole can cause Kluver-Bucy syndrome, characterized by fearlessness, hypersexuality, and hyperorality in people and animals.
BA38 is also among the earliest affected regions in Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and is commonly involved in the start of temporal lobe seizures. Studies have found that it contains at least seven subareas, one of which, "TG," is unique to humans.
In summary, BA38 is a fascinating region of the human brain that plays an essential role in high-level semantic representation, socio-emotional processing, and facial recognition. Its damage can cause severe personality changes, such as fearlessness and hypersexuality, and memory loss, as seen in amnestic prosopagnosia. While it is commonly affected in neurodegenerative diseases and temporal lobe seizures, researchers continue to explore its many subareas and how they function in the broader network of the human brain.