What is Broca's area?

Broca's area, traditionally believed to be the part of the brain responsible for speech production, is located in the frontal lobe of the brain. It was named after Pierre Broca, a French neurosurgeon who linked damage to this area with difficulties in speech production in a patient who could only utter "tan, tan".

Recent insights challenge this traditional understanding. It's now known that Broca's area is not solely responsible for speech production. Instead, the actual generation and control of speech involve a broader network including the pre central gyrus and motor cortex, important for articulating and formulating words. Recent research indicates that surgeries in the posterior part of the frontal lobe, where Broca's area is located, often do not affect speech, suggesting a more complex neural basis for language than previously thought 1.