Which of the following is a potential effect of a frontal lobe stroke?

• A. Improved self-awareness
• B. Improved motor coordination
• C. Impaired judgment, planning, problem-solving, personality, motivation, self-awareness, and possibly speech
• D. Enhanced sensory perception

Answer: (C)

Frontal lobe damage disrupts the brain’s executive functions and personality controls. This area governs judgment, planning, problem-solving, motivation, and self-awareness, and it also houses regions involved in controlling behavior and, when language areas are involved, speech. So a stroke here commonly leads to impairments in those functions and may affect speech if language centers are impacted. Improvements in self-awareness, motor coordination, or sensory perception aren’t typical outcomes of frontal lobe injury, making the described set of impairments the most likely consequence of a frontal lobe stroke.