What area of the brain primarily influences language comprehension?

Wernicke's area is the region of the brain that primarily influences language comprehension. It is located in the left temporal lobe for most right-handed individuals and plays a critical role in the understanding of spoken and written language. Damage to Wernicke's area can result in Wernicke's aphasia, where an individual may produce fluent speech but have significant difficulties understanding language, demonstrating the importance of this area in comprehending language.

In contrast, Broca's area, located in the frontal lobe, is more associated with language production and the formation of coherent speech. The pons is part of the brainstem that functions in motor control and sensory analysis, but it does not play a direct role in language comprehension. The cerebellum primarily coordinates motor control and is involved in balance and fine motor skills, which are unrelated to language processing. Thus, Wernicke's area is correctly identified as the area of the brain essential for language comprehension.