The human brain is an intricate organ with distinct regions responsible for a vast array of functions. The largest section, the cerebrum, is divided into two hemispheres, and each contains four lobes. The frontal lobe acts as a control panel for many of our highest-level abilities, including personality, decision-making, and moderating social behavior.
Within this lobe are prominent ridges known as gyri. The superior frontal gyrus (SFG) is the uppermost gyrus, making up approximately one-third of the frontal lobe. It runs from the front of the brain toward the back, bordering the precentral gyrus. As the brain has two hemispheres, there is both a left and a right superior frontal gyrus, and this article focuses on the right SFG.
Key Functions in Executive Control
The right superior frontal gyrus is a central region for executive functions. These are high-level mental processes that allow individuals to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks. This area helps orchestrate thoughts and behaviors by managing and integrating information, acting as a hub within the brain’s executive control network.
A primary executive function associated with the right SFG is working memory. This is the brain’s temporary mental notepad, allowing a person to hold and manipulate information for short periods. Studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have shown that the right SFG is involved in maintaining integrated pieces of information, rather than separate verbal or spatial details. This capacity is necessary for everyday problem-solving and decision-making.
Another executive process involving the right SFG is cognitive flexibility. This is the ability to adjust behavior and thinking in response to a changing environment. It allows a person to switch between different tasks or mental sets, a process that requires updating goals and response plans. Research suggests that an individual’s ability to switch tasks is related to the functional coupling between the right SFG and other frontal areas.
This region also contributes to attention regulation, which involves focusing on a specific task while filtering out distractions. The right SFG helps control impulsive responses by anticipating conflict and preparing the brain to restrain an action. In children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a condition often characterized by challenges with attention, studies have found thinner cortical tissue in the right SFG compared to typically developing children.
Contributions to Self-Awareness and Social Processing
Beyond managing cognitive tasks, the right superior frontal gyrus is involved in processes related to our sense of self and social interactions. A significant function is self-awareness. This involves the capacity for introspection, or the ability to think about oneself and reflect on one’s own traits and mental states.
Functional imaging experiments have found that the right SFG becomes active when individuals engage in self-referential processing, such as evaluating personal characteristics. The ability to detach from negative emotions by re-evaluating their personal relevance—a process called self-focused reappraisal—has also been linked to the structural integrity and volume of the right SFG.
The right SFG also supports our ability to navigate the social world through “theory of mind.” This is the capacity to understand that other people have their own unique thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. This understanding is foundational for empathy, allowing individuals to infer the mental states of others and respond appropriately in social situations.
A specific social function tied to this area is the processing of humor and the expression of laughter. Recognizing a joke and laughing is a complex social and emotional response. Research has identified the right SFG as an area activated during the comprehension of humorous material, suggesting it plays a part in getting a joke.
Impact of Dysfunction or Injury
Damage or atypical activity in the right superior frontal gyrus can lead to noticeable changes in cognitive function, behavior, and emotional regulation. When this area is affected by a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or a stroke, individuals may experience deficits related to its supported functions. A stroke affecting the anterior cerebral artery, which supplies blood to the SFG, can result in difficulties with planning, impaired social judgment, and personality changes.
Lesions in the right SFG have been shown to impair a person’s ability to down-regulate negative emotions through reappraisal. This suggests injury to this area can disrupt the top-down control the prefrontal cortex exerts over emotional responses. The consequences can manifest as difficulty managing frustration or sadness, which can impact an individual’s mental health and social relationships.
Variations in the structure and function of the right SFG are also associated with certain neurological and psychiatric conditions. For instance, some studies have linked reduced cortical thickness in the right SFG to symptoms of ADHD in children. This structural difference may relate to the challenges with impulse control and attention that characterize the disorder.
This brain region has been implicated in mood disorders like depression. The right SFG’s role in self-referential thought may become maladaptive in depression, contributing to negative self-focused rumination. In schizophrenia, alterations in the right SFG may be connected to impaired executive control and social cognition difficulties. These links are correlational, as research is ongoing to understand the precise mechanisms involved.