Cortical area · one in each half of the brain

Pars opercularis

Also called Brodmann area 44, Opercular part of the inferior frontal gyrus

The back half of Broca's area: planning the sounds and structure of speech.

The pars opercularis lit up in a 3D model of the human brain

The pars opercularis is the rear part of Broca's area, sitting just in front of the face area of the motor strip. It helps plan the order of sounds in words and the structure of sentences. It is also active when you watch and copy other people's actions, and on the right side of the brain it helps hold back unwanted actions.

Where it is

In the lower frontal lobe, just in front of the motor strip and above the side groove of the brain. It is the back part of Broca's area.

What it does

Planning speech sounds

It organizes the order of sounds and syllables before you say a word.

Grammar and structure

It helps work out how words fit together, especially in layered sentences like "the cat the dog chased ran away".

Imitating actions

It is active both when you watch someone do something and when you copy it, which may help with learning by imitation.

Hitting the brakes

The matching area on the right side helps hold back responses that are not wanted, like pulling back your hand from something you should not touch.

Think of it as a sound engineer: it lines up the syllables of a word in the right order before sending them off to be spoken.

Works with

Primary motor cortexIt sends speech plans to the face and mouth area of the motor strip, right behind it.
Pars triangularisIts partner in front handles word meanings, while it focuses on sounds and structure.
Supramarginal gyrusFibers link it to this parietal area, which helps it hold and repeat speech sounds.
Arcuate fasciculusThis fiber highway connects it to the temporal lobe language areas that process speech sounds.
InsulaThe insula, hidden under its lid-like fold, may also help time the movements of speech, though how much it does is still debated.

When it goes wrong

Apraxia of speech

Damage here can cause apraxia of speech: the mouth muscles work fine, but the brain struggles to plan the right sequence of movements, so words come out distorted or inconsistent.

Part of Broca's aphasia

Along with nearby areas, damage can contribute to slow, effortful speech with simplified grammar.

For learning only, not medical advice. If you have a health concern, talk to a doctor.

Surprising facts

It responds when music breaks its expected rules, such as an out-of-place chord, hinting that language and music share some brain machinery.
It sits in a region linked to the "mirror" system: cells that respond both when you do an action and when you watch someone else do it. How much these cells explain in humans is still debated.

Where the name comes from

Latin for "the part that forms a lid". "Operculum" means lid or cover, because this fold helps cover the hidden insula underneath.

Quick quiz

3 questions. Your answers are saved and come back in your daily review.

Which of these is a job of the pars opercularis?
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Planning speech sounds. It organizes the order of sounds and syllables before you say a word.
The pars opercularis is part of which larger structure?
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Broca's area. It belongs to Broca's area.
Which part fits this description? "Like a sound engineer: it lines up the syllables of a word in the right order before sending them off to be spoken."
Show the answer
Pars opercularis. It is the pars opercularis. The back half of Broca's area: planning the sounds and structure of speech.

Sources

Pars opercularis, Radiopaedia
Grasping the Intentions of Others with One's Own Mirror Neuron System, PLOS Biology
A componential analysis of task-switching deficits associated with lesions of left and right frontal cortex, Brain (Oxford Academic)

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