Frontal lobe syndromes

Abstract

The frontal lobes contain a complex set of diverse anatomic regions that form multiple distinct, complex networks with cortical and subcortical regions. Damage to these cortical-subcortical networks can have dramatic behavioral consequences, ranging from apathy to impairments in executive functioning. This chapter provides a brief overview of the common syndromes caused by damage to the mediodorsal and dorsolateral prefrontal circuits, followed by a more detailed review of the syndrome-sometimes referred to as pseudopsychopathy or acquired sociopathy-associated with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal circuit.

Keywords: Abulia; Acquired sociopathy; Apathy; Dorsolateral; Orbitofrontal; Perseveration; Prefrontal; Pseudopsychopathy; Ventromedial.