Age/sex: 47-year-old female
Size: 12.3 x 18.5 x 5.5 cm
A well-circumscribed depression (short arrows) is present in the frontal lobe of the left brain just above the Sylvian fissure (long arrows).
Cerebral infarct
An infarct is a focus of dead tissue that occurs because of lack of oxygen, usually caused by absent blood flow because of thrombosis (clot) in the vessel supplying the area. The thrombus/clot can form in the vessel itself (usually secondary to atherosclerosis) or it can be transported in the blood from another site (thromboembolism), most often the heart or carotid artery. These two processes are the most common causes of stroke. With time, the dead tissue is reabsorbed leaving a “depression” in the cortex, as seen in this specimen.
The location of the infarct in this brain is typical of an interruption of blood flow in the middle cerebral artery. It partly involves a region of the frontal cortex associated with speech (Broca’s area) and it is likely that the patient had difficulty with this.
Pierre Paul Broca (1824 – 1880) was a French anatomist, anthropologist and physician. He was particularly interested in comparative anatomy and anthropometry (the measurement of physical features). However, he is best known today for his 1865 publication of the findings in 12 autopsies in which he was able to link expressive aphasia - difficulty speaking with preserved ability to understand speech - with disease in the left inferior frontal lobe.
Below: The location of Broca’s area in the frontal lobe.
Source: Denslow, E. (2022). Damage to Broca’s area: causes, symptoms, and rehabilitation process. Flint Rehab. https://www.flintrehab.com/damage-to-brocas-area/
