This isn’t the first study that’s looked at the brain’s frontal lobe and how damage or neurodegeneration can lead to difficulty in higher-level cognitive functions like self-monitoring your responses and delivering them with intent. This part of the brain is also considered the epicenter of your behavior and emotions (via Queensland Health).
A 2005 study published in the journal Neuropsychology found a similar association between the inability to notice sarcasm and brain health. Researchers examined 25 subjects with lesions in the prefrontal cortex (a section of the frontal lobe), per American Psychological Association. According to Dr. Sam Gandy, associate director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in New York City, it’s not just the ability to pick up on sarcasm that gets affected when this part of the brain is damaged (per Health Day). A person’s language comprehension, processing of short-term memory, and “recognition of ‘self'” could also be compromised. So can their understanding of social concepts. Add that to the things you never knew about your brain.
UCSF neuropsychologist Katherine Rankin, senior author of the dementia study, thinks that studies of this nature could pave the way for identifying early signs when it comes to neurodegenerative diseases (via University of California San Francisco). “If somebody has strange behavior and they stop understanding things like sarcasm and lies, they should see a specialist who can make sure this is not the start of one of these diseases,” shared Rankin.
