Frontal Lobe · Structure
Broca's Area
Where thoughts become spoken words.
Broca's area, usually in the left frontal lobe, assembles language into speech. People with damage here often understand everything perfectly but can only produce short, effortful phrases — a condition called expressive aphasia.
What it does
- Sequencing sounds into words
- Building grammatical structure
- Coordinating the muscles of speech
In the real world
Recovering speech after stroke
Melodic intonation therapy has patients sing phrases, borrowing intact right-hemisphere circuits to route around a damaged Broca's area.