The anterior portion of the paracentral lobule is part of the frontal lobe and contains a little portion of
Brodmann's area 6 (SMA): this is because the
paracentral sulcus (branch of the cingulate sulcus) does not correspond to the
precentral sulcus on the medial plane.
The posterior portion is considered part of the parietal lobe and deals with
somatosensory of the distal limbs.
While the boundary between the lobes, the
central sulcus, is easy to locate on the lateral surface of the cerebral hemispheres, this boundary is often discerned in a
cytoarchetectonic manner in cases where the central sulcus is not visible on the medial surface.
Function
Neurons in paracentral lobule are concerned with:
Motor and
sensory innervations of the contralateral lower extremity
Regulation of physiological function such as defecation and micturition