Question

Due to damage to a small region of his brain, Broca's famous patient lost the ability to speak. In which section of the brain did that damage occur?

a) Hippocampus
b) Wernicke's area
c) Temporal lobe
d) Broca's area

Answer 1

Broca's famous patient lost the ability to speak due to damage in the Broca's area, situated in the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex, mainly in the left hemisphere of the brain.

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient mentioned in the question suffered damage to a specific region of the brain that resulted in the loss of the ability to speak. This area is known as Broca's area, which is located in the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex. It plays a critical role in speech production and is usually situated in the left hemisphere, which is responsible for language in approximately 95% of the population. Damage to Broca's area often leads to a condition known as Broca's aphasia, characterized by difficulty in producing speech while usually retaining comprehension abilities. It differs from Wernicke's aphasia, caused by damage to the Wernicke's area, where comprehension is impaired more than speech production.

Considering the options presented in the question, Pierre Paul Broca's famous patient must have sustained damage to the d) Broca's area of his brain, affecting his speech capabilities.