The bilateral Left Cerebrum.Frontal Lobe.Superior Frontal Gyrus.Gray Matter.Brodmann area 6 corresponds primarily to the premotor cortex and portions of the supplementary motor area located anterior to the primary motor cortex (Brodmann area 4) on the superior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe. This agranular cortical region is involved in the planning, preparation, and coordination of voluntary movements, integration of sensory cues into motor programs, and sequencing of complex motor acts, including those related to posture and bimanual coordination. Brodmann area 6 receives inputs from parietal and prefrontal regions and projects to primary motor and spinal motor pathways, acting as an important interface between higher-order cognitive processes and motor execution. There is no direct link for “Brodmann area 6” as a distinct page, but it is described within the broader context of the Brodmann area article.
The bilateral left superior frontal gyrus gray matter in Brodmann area 6 (premotor/supplementary motor territory) has been implicated in multiple genetic and GWAS findings, largely through imaging–genetics and imaging–GWAS studies of cortical thickness, surface area, and regional volume rather than region-specific candidate genes. Large consortia such as ENIGMA and UK Biobank have identified polygenic influences on frontal premotor morphology, with common variants in genes related to neuronal development, synaptic function, and axon guidance (for example, MAPT, CNTNAP2, and genes within the major histocompatibility complex and Wnt signaling pathways) contributing modestly to variability in this region’s structure. Polygenic risk scores for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have been associated with altered gray matter measures in superior frontal and premotor territories, including BA6, suggesting shared genetic architecture between these psychiatric phenotypes and premotor cortical morphology. Genetic variants linked to neurodevelopmental disorders and autism spectrum conditions have also been associated with structural and functional alterations in superior frontal regions, particularly in networks subserving motor planning, executive control, and working memory. In addition, GWAS of general cognitive ability and educational attainment have reported associations with frontal cortical thickness and volume, including superior frontal gyrus areas encompassing BA6, indicating that many loci influencing cognition exert part of their effect through subtle, distributed influences on premotor and adjacent prefrontal anatomy rather than through single region-specific genes.
Overview generated by GPT-4o (2026).
Region ID: 1077
Hemisphere: bilateral
Atlas: Talairach labels 1mm
Full Quality Version: Download MP4
Full Quality Version: Download MP4
Wali Sidiqyar*, Gaurav Rudravaram*, Elyssa M. McMaster, Trent M. Schwartz, Adam M. Saunders, Kurt G. Schilling, Bennett A. Landman "Introducing SPINS: A Shared Public Visualization Library of Neuroanatomical Structures." Medical Imaging with Deep Learning- short paper
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