The Brain is divided into four main lobes : The Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, and Occipital Lobe. Each lobe is responsible for specific functions, such as controlling movement, processing sensory information, and regulating emotion and memory.
Role & Functions :
1. The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is a part of the Frontal Lobe located at the front of the brain, just behind the forehead. It is responsible for a variety of functions including decision making, planning, problem solving, impulse control, and regulating emotions.
The PFC also plays a role in working memory, which allows us to temporarily hold and manipulate information in our minds, and in social cognition, which allows us to understand and respond to the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of others.
Damage to The PFC can result in a range of disorders, including impulsivity, poor decision making, and difficulty in regulating emotions.
The PFC is also thought to be one of the last regions of the brain to fully develop, which may explain why adolescents often struggle with impulse control and decision making.
2. The Frontal Lobe is located at the front of the brain and is responsible for decision making, planning, and regulating emotions.
- It is responsible for a wide range of functions including :
– Motor Function : controlling voluntary movement and muscle tone
– Executive Function : decision making, planning, problem solving, and impulse control
– Emotion and Behavior : regulating emotions and social behavior, such as empathy and morality
– Working Memory : temporarily holding and manipulating information
– Language : some aspects of language processing, such as grammar and word formation
– Higher Cognitive Functions : abstract thinking, creativity and planning
Damage to The Frontal Lobe can result in a range of disorders, including difficulty with motor function, impulsivity, poor decision making, and difficulty in regulating emotions. It is also linked to personality disorders, addiction, and schizophrenia.
The Frontal Lobe is one of the last regions of the brain to fully develop, which may explain why adolescents often struggle with impulse control and decision making.
3. The Parietal Lobe is located at the top and back of the brain behind the frontal lobe and above the temporal lobe. It is responsible for processing sensory information, such as touch and temperature.
- It is responsible for a number of functions including :
– Sensory processing : interpreting information from the five senses, such as touch, temperature, and pain
– Spatial awareness and navigation : understanding the position of one’s body in space and navigation
– Perception of numbers and mathematical operations
– Integration of sensory information : combining information from different senses to create a cohesive understanding of the environment
– Motor Function : contributing to the control of fine movement and dexterity
Damage to The Parietal Lobe can result in a range of disorders, including difficulty with spatial awareness, difficulty with fine movement and dexterity, and difficulty with interpreting sensory information.
It is also associated with disorders such as neglect syndrome, in which patients with damage to the parietal lobe neglect one side of their body or the space around them.
4. The Temporal Lobe is located on the sides of the brain beneath the lateral fissure. It is responsible for processing auditory information, as well as regulating memory and emotion.
- It is responsible for a number of functions including :
– Auditory processing : interpreting sound and speech
– Memory : encoding, storage, and retrieval of long-term memories, especially for verbal information
– Language : understanding and producing language, including semantics (meaning of words) and comprehension of spoken language
– Emotion : plays a role in regulating emotions and interpreting emotional cues in others
– Face recognition and Visual memory
Damage to The Temporal Lobe can result in a range of disorders, including difficulty with auditory processing, memory impairment, difficulty with language, and difficulty with interpreting emotional cues in others.
It is also associated with disorders such as epilepsy, which is characterized by seizures that originate in the temporal lobe.
Additionally, some forms of amnesia, such as semantic dementia and progressive non-fluent aphasia, are associated with damage to the temporal lobe.
5. The Occipital Lobe is located at the back of the brain behind the parietal and temporal lobe. It is responsible for processing visual information.
- It is responsible for a number of functions including :
– Vision : processing visual information from the eyes and interpreting it to create a cohesive understanding of the environment
– Color Perception
– Visual Perception : recognizing objects, faces, and movement
– Visual Memory : storing and recalling visual information
Damage to The Occipital Lobe can result in a range of disorders, including difficulty with vision, difficulty with color perception, difficulty with recognizing objects and faces, and difficulty with visual memory.
It is also associated with disorders such as Scotoma, which is an area of partial blindness within the visual field, and visual agnosia, which is the inability to recognize objects despite having normal vision.