Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Stimulating the Lip Motor Cortex with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Published on: June 14, 2014
Broca's area is jointly activated during speech and gesture production
1Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Despite the frequent suggestion in the literature that Broca's area is a common link between vocal and gestural models of the origins of language, this has never been established within a single motor-production study. In the present functional MRI experiment, participants were asked to describe the spatial properties of objects (e.g. a motorcycle) using speech, pantomime, and drawing. Pairwise conjunction analyses revealed that the left inferior gyrus - in combination with the left basal ganglia and ventral anterior thalamus - was jointly activated for the production of speech and pantomime but not for the conjunctions with drawing. Drawing and pantomime instead showed strong overlap in the intraparietal sulcus and superior parietal region bilaterally. These results provide the first demonstration in a production study that Broca's area is jointly activated by speech and gesture when depicting the same semantic content.
Related Concept Videos
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Association Areas of the Cortex
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Cerebral Hemispheres
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
Lateralization

