Final answer:
Functional areas or regions are defined by specific functions occurring within them, such as the delivery area of a pizza shop, and cease to exist when the function ends. In medicine, functional areas of the brain include lobes of the cerebral cortex, which play different roles and are studied using techniques like TMS and fMRI.
Step-by-step explanation:
Functional areas, also known as functional regions, are defined by a specific function that occurs within an area. When the function that defines the region ceases, the boundaries of the functional region also disappear. A few examples include the delivery area of a local pizza shop, a church parish, or a newspaper distribution range. For instance, if a newspaper business goes bankrupt, the functional region, which was defined by the newspaper's delivery area, would no longer exist.
Regarding the human brain, functional areas can refer to the different lobes of the cerebral cortex, each of which is involved in various functions. The brain is divided into the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. Techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have helped understand the specific roles of these regions. The integrative areas are regions of the cortex that integrate multisensory information, processing sensory or motor information in complex ways.
Furthermore, understanding functional areas is crucial in different disciplines, including Geography and Medicine, where it helps identify the organization of spaces and the functions of various regions within the human brain, respectively.