Fundamental or forgotten? Is Pierre Paul Broca still relevant in modern neuroscience?

Laterality. 2019 Mar;24(2):125-138. doi: 10.1080/1357650X.2018.1489827. Epub 2018 Jun 22.

Abstract

The ability to speak is a unique human capacity, but where is it located in our brains? This question is closely connected to the pioneering work of Pierre Paul Broca in the 1860s. Based on post-mortem observations of aphasic patients' brains, Broca located language production in the 3rd convolution of the left frontal lobe and thus reinitiated the localizationist view of brain functions. However, contemporary neuroscience has partially rejected this view in favor of a network-based perspective. This leads to the question, whether Broca's findings are still relevant today. In this mini-review, we discuss current and historical implications of Broca's work by focusing on his original contribution and contrasting it with contemporary knowledge. Borrowing from Broca's famous quote, our review shows that humans indeed "speak with the left hemisphere"- but Broca's area is not the sole "seat of articulatory language".

Keywords: Broca's area; Pierre Paul Broca; aphasia; functional neuroanatomy; language lateralization; speech production.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aphasia, Broca / history*
  • Aphasia, Broca / physiopathology
  • Broca Area / physiology*
  • Functional Laterality*
  • History, 19th Century
  • Humans
  • Neural Pathways / physiology
  • Neurosciences / history*
  • Speech / physiology*