How many brain lobes

This lobe is located at the front of the brain and is associated with reasoning, motor skills, higher level cognition, and expressive language.

At the back of the frontal lobe, near the central sulcus, lies the motor cortex. The motor cortex receives information from various lobes of the brain and uses this information to carry out body movements. Damage to the frontal lobe can lead to changes in sexual habits, socialization, and attention as well as increased risk-taking. The parietal lobe is located in the middle section of the brain and is associated with processing tactile sensory information such as pressure, touch, and pain.

A portion of the brain known as the somatosensory cortex is located in this lobe and is essential to the processing of the body's senses. The temporal lobe is located on the bottom section of the brain. This lobe is also the location of the primary auditory cortex, which is important for interpreting sounds and the language we hear.

The hippocampus is also located in the temporal lobe, which is why this portion of the brain is also heavily associated with the formation of memories. Damage to the temporal lobe can lead to problems with memory, speech perception, and language skills. The occipital lobe is located at the back portion of the brain and is associated with interpreting visual stimuli and information.

The primary visual cortex, which receives and interprets information from the retinas of the eyes, is located in the occipital lobe.

Damage to this lobe can cause visual problems such as difficulty recognizing objects, an inability to identify colors, and trouble recognizing words. The brainstem is an area located at the base of the brain that contains structures vital for involuntary functions such as the heartbeat and breathing.

The brain stem is comprised of the midbrain, pons, and medulla. The midbrain is often considered the smallest region of the brain. It acts as a sort of relay station for auditory and visual information. The midbrain controls many important functions such as the visual and auditory systems as well as eye movement.

Portions of the midbrain called the red nucleus and the substantia nigra are involved in the control of body movement. The darkly pigmented substantia nigra contains a large number of dopamine-producing neurons. The medulla is located directly above the spinal cord in the lower part of the brain stem and controls many vital autonomic functions such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.

The pons connects the cerebral cortex to the medulla and to the cerebellum and serves a number of important functions. It plays a role in several autonomic processes, such as stimulating breathing and controlling sleep cycles. The cerebellum is comprised of small lobes and serves a number of important functions. Although there is no totally agreed-upon list of the structures that make up the limbic system, four of the main regions include:. The hypothalamus is a grouping of nuclei that lie along the base of the brain near the pituitary gland.

The hypothalamus connects with many other regions of the brain and is responsible for controlling hunger, thirst, emotions , body temperature regulation, and circadian rhythms.

The hypothalamus also controls the pituitary gland by secreting hormones. This gives the hypothalamus a great deal of control over many body functions. The amygdala is a cluster of nuclei located close to the base of the brain.

It is primarily involved in functions including memory, emotion, and the body's fight-or-flight response. The structure processes external stimuli and then relays that information to the hippocampus, which can then prompt a response to deal with outside threats. Located above the brainstem, the thalamus processes and transmits movement and sensory information. It is essentially a relay station, taking in sensory information and then passing it on to the cerebral cortex.

The cerebral cortex also sends information to the thalamus, which then sends this information to other systems. The hippocampus is a structure located in the temporal lobe. It is important in memory and learning and is sometimes considered to be part of the limbic system because it plays an important part in the control of emotional responses. It plays a role in the body's fight-or-flight response and in the recall and regulation of emotional memories.

Certain complex functions involve both hemispheres but are directed predominantly by one cerebral dominance. For example, the left hemisphere is typically dominant for language, and the right is dominant for spatial attention. The cerebral cortex see figure Areas of the brain Overview of Cerebral Function The cerebrum is divided by a longitudinal fissure into 2 hemispheres, each containing 6 discrete lobes: Frontal Parietal Temporal Occipital read more contains.

The primary sensory areas receive somesthetic, auditory, visual, and gustatory stimuli from the thalamus, which receives stimuli from specialized sensory organs and peripheral receptors.

Olfactory pathways bypass the thalamus and go directly to specialized areas of the cortex. Sensory stimuli are further processed in association areas that relate to one or more senses. The primary motor cortex generates volitional body movements; motor association areas help plan and execute complex motor activity. Each unimodal association area is adjacent to its corresponding primary sensory area and processes information from that area at a higher level than the primary sensory area.

Heteromodal association areas are not restricted to any single motor or sensory function but receive convergent information from multiple sensory and motor areas of the brain. Heteromodal association areas in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes integrate sensory data, motor feedback, and other information with instinctual and acquired memories. This integration facilitates learning and creates thought, expression, and behavior. The frontal lobes are anterior to the central sulcus.

They are essential for planning and executing learned and purposeful behaviors; they are also the site of many inhibitory functions. There are several functionally distinct areas in the frontal lobes:. The primary motor cortex is the most posterior part of the precentral gyrus. Thus, damage to the motor cortex of one hemisphere causes weakness or paralysis mainly on the contralateral side of the body.

The medial frontal cortex sometimes called the medial prefrontal area is important in arousal and motivation. If lesions in this area are large and extend to the most anterior part of the cortex frontal pole , patients sometimes become abulic apathetic, inattentive, and markedly slow to respond.

The orbital frontal cortex sometimes called the orbital prefrontal area—see figure Areas of the brain Overview of Cerebral Function The cerebrum is divided by a longitudinal fissure into 2 hemispheres, each containing 6 discrete lobes: Frontal Parietal Temporal Occipital read more helps modulate social behaviors. Patients with orbital frontal lesions can become emotionally labile, indifferent to the implications of their actions, or both.

They may be alternately euphoric, facetious, vulgar, and indifferent to social nuances. Bilateral acute trauma to this area may make patients boisterously talkative, restless, and socially intrusive. The disinhibition and abnormal behaviors that can occur with aging and in many types of dementia probably result from degeneration of the frontal lobe, particularly the orbital frontal cortex.

The left posteroinferior frontal cortex sometimes called the Broca area or posteroinferior prefrontal area—see figure Areas of the brain Overview of Cerebral Function The cerebrum is divided by a longitudinal fissure into 2 hemispheres, each containing 6 discrete lobes: Frontal Parietal Temporal Occipital read more controls expressive language function. Lesions in this area cause expressive aphasia Aphasia Aphasia is language dysfunction that may involve impaired comprehension or expression of words or nonverbal equivalents of words.

It results from dysfunction of the language centers in the cerebral The dorsolateral frontal cortex sometimes called the dorsolateral prefrontal area manipulates very recently acquired information—a function called working memory.

Lesions in this area can impair the ability to retain information and process it in real time eg, to spell words backwards or to alternate between letters and numbers sequentially. Specific parts of the cortex control specific motor and sensory functions on the contralateral side of the body.

The amount of cortical space given to a body part varies; eg, the area of the cortex that controls the hand is larger than the area that controls the shoulder. The primary somatosensory cortex, located in the postrolandic area postcentral gyrus in the anterior parietal lobes, integrates somesthetic stimuli for recognition and recall of form, texture, and weight. The primary somatosensory cortex on one side receives all somatosensory input from the contralateral side of the body see figure Homunculus Homunculus The cerebrum is divided by a longitudinal fissure into 2 hemispheres, each containing 6 discrete lobes: Frontal Parietal Temporal Occipital read more.

Lesions of the anterior parietal lobe can cause difficulty recognizing objects by touch astereognosis. About the Brain Introduction to the Brain Brain structure and function Lobes of the brain and their functions Publications and Resources. National Helpline : This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this. If not, click the link for info on how to manage and delete cookies. Yes, I'm ok with that Read More. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.

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