LOBE FUNCTIONS

• The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that

functions to make human beings unique. Distinctly
human traits including higher thought, language and
human consciousness as well as the ability to think,
reason and imagine all originate in the cerebral cortex.
• The cerebral cortex is what we see when we look at
the brain. It is the outermost portion that can be
divided into the four lobes of the brain. Each bump on
the surface of the brain is known as a gyrus, while
each groove is known as a sulcus
 Frontal Lobes
• Traditionally considered to be the seat of
intelligence.
• This is probably because:
– The frontal cortex is the most recent to evolve.
– Humans have particularly large frontal lobes
compared to other animals.
• The frontal cortex is the brain lobe least
amenable to quantitative testing.
 Facts

• Located directly behind the forehead

• Most frequently injured

• Largest portion of the brain

• 1/3 of cortical area of cerebral hemisphere

• Connected to many other portions of the

brain
Mammals Frontal Lobe Evolution
• 33% of Brain area
• Most recently evolved
• Well developed only in
primates
• Gives our capacity to feel
empathy, sympathy,
understand humor and
when others are being
ironic, sarcastic or even
deceptive.
Frontal lobes: Comparative studies
Evolution

• Frontal lobes account for

increasing proportion of
cerebrum across
phylogenetic spectrum (Fuster,
1980)
• Prefrontal areas are 33% of
cerebral cortical surface in
humans (Goldman-Rakic,1984)
 Frontal Lobe History 1600-1900
1848 - Beginning with the tragic story of Phineas
Gage

1861 - The area of the brain responsible for

forming language is called Broca's area

1868 - The "prefrontal“ introduced by Richard

Owen
 Frontal lobes: History
Wartime Trauma
•Improvements in military medicine led to markedly
improved survivability from head wounds in WWII
and subsequent wars.

•Example: Luria and localization of function in

Russian soldiers.
• The frontal lobe, located at the front of the brain, is one
of the four major lobes  of the cerebral cortex  in
the brain of mammals.
•  The frontal lobe is located at the front of each cerebral
hemisphere  and positioned in front of the  parietal lobe
 and above and in front of the temporal lobe.
• It is separated from the parietal lobe by a space between
tissues called the central sulcus, and from the temporal
lobe by a deep fold called the lateral sulcus  also called
the Sylvian fissure.
• The  precentral gyrus, forming the posterior border of the
frontal lobe, contains the primary motor cortex,, which
controls voluntary movements of specific body parts.
• The frontal lobe contains most of
the dopamine-sensitive neurons in the cerebral
cortex.
• The dopamine system is associated with
reward, attention, short – term
memory  tasks, planning,, and motivation.
• Dopamine tends to limit and select sensory
information arriving from the thalamus  to the
forebrain. 
Frontal Lobe
 Divisions of the Frontal Cortex
1. Motor cortex
2. Premotor cortex
3. Prefrontal cortex
4. Orbitofrontal & Ventromedial prefrontal
cortex
5. Anterior cingulate gyrus
6. Broca’s area
 Frontal Lobe Cortex

• Functional subdivisions:
– Lateral (4, 6, 8-10, 43-
47)
– Medial (6, 8-12, 24, 25,
32, 22)
– Inferior (11-15, 25, 47)
• Another division:
– Motor (4)
– Premotor (6, 8, 43, 44,
45)
– Prefrontal (9-15, 46, 47)
Functional Frontal Lobe Anatomy
Premotor area Primary motor area
B6 B4

Central sulcus
Supplementary
motor area
(medially)

Frontal eye field

B8

Prefrontal area
B 9, 10, 11, 12
Lateral sulcus/
Sylvian fissure
Motor speech
area of Broca
B 44, 45
The orbitofrontal cortex is divided into ventromedial
(reddish in the anterior view: above and yellow in the
convex-lateral and median-sagittal view) and the lateral
orbitofrontal cortex (green)
Frontal lobes: Functional zones
• The precentral cortex or primary motor cortex   is
concerned with the planning, initiation and control of
physical movement. The dorsolateral part of the frontal
lobe is concerned with planning, strategy formation, and
other excutive functions. The prefrontal cortex in the left
hemisphere is involved with verbal memory while the
prefrontal cortex in the right hemisphere is involved in
spatial memory. The left frontal operculum region of the
prefrontal cortex, or Broca's area, is responsible for
expressive language, i.e. language production. The
orbitofrontal cortex is concerned with response
inhibition, impulse control, and social behaviour.
• Your personality lives in the frontal lobes,
where emotions, problem solving, reasoning,
planning and other functions are managed.
• The frontal lobes are linked to sensory and
memory centers throughout the brain.
• Their primary job is to allow us to think things
through and determine how to use information
that is located elsewhere in the brain.
 Basic Function of Prefrontal Cortex
• The prefrontal cortex provides cognitive control of
behavior, so the right behavior is selected at the
appropriate time and place.
• The prefrontal cortex plays a major role in an
individual’s ability to regulate his or her behavior.
• When the prefrontal cortex is injured, people can’t
plan, anticipate consequences, initiate purposeful
behavior, inhibit irrelevant behavior, or monitor
themselves.
Problem Solving
• Higher-level thinking is supported by the
frontal lobes. Activity in these lobes allows us
to reason, make judgments, make plans for
the near and far future, make choices, take
action, solve problems and generally control
our living environment.
• Without fully functioning frontal lobes, you
may have intelligence, but you wouldn’t be
able to put it to use.
Social Interaction
• The frontal lobes or, more specifically, the prefrontal cortex
located within the frontal lobes, possess the ability to access
information and memories we accumulate that remind us how
to communicate and interact appropriately in social or public
situations.
• The frontal lobes are responsible for empathetic behavior,
allowing us to understand the thinking and experiences of
others.
• This understanding helps us take cues as to how to behave or
respond in different types of social situations, such as the
correct response to a job interview question, or understand the
punch line of a joke.
• Damage to some areas of the frontal lobe can also affect sexual
interest and activity.
Movement
• Although movement and muscle coordination are
centered in another part of the brain called the
cerebellum, the frontal lobes control your
voluntary muscles.
• These are the muscles you use to walk, run,
dance, throw a football or make an other
conscious movement.
• Spatial orientation, or the ability to determine the
position of your body in space, is also a function
of the frontal lobes.
 Executive Functioning

• Many regions of the brain are associated with

executive functioning.
• Primary area is the prefrontal cortex (PFC)
• Other areas affecting/affected by executive ability
include:
– Cerebellum
– Basal ganglia
– Thalamus
 Executive Cognitive Functioning
• Initiating, prioritizing, strategizing & sequencing
• Regulating alertness, managing time
• Working memory
• Self-monitoring & self-regulation (insight, error
detection, behavior modification, impulse control)
• Focusing and maintaining attention
• Flexible response to novel situations
• Using intentions to engage in purposeful activity
• Managing frustration and regulating emotions
• Active problem solving
• Capacity to generate information
 These are all Executive Cognitive Functions

• Creativity
– New ideas/hypotheses
– Divergent thinking – thinking outside the box for new approaches
• Flexibility
– Seeing an opportunity and seizing it
– Being able to change course/react to change
• Self-control
– Think before you speak or act
– Resist temptation/control impulses
• Discipline
– Make a plan and stick to it
– Focus despite distractions
 Who/Where/What is the Executive?
• The prefrontal cortex is involved in the temporal
organization of behavior.
• The prefrontal area combines working memory
with long-term memory, current behavior, and
both short- and long-term goals.
• These are referred to as the executive
functions.
• But there is no “executive” in the brain, and nothing to
regulate behavior.
• The brain and behavior are both self-organizing systems.
Your prefrontal cortex links information back and forth across other brain regions and has the
vastest neural network and the most reciprocal interconnections with other brain structures.

“All neural roads eventually lead to the frontal lobes.”

 Causes of Injury

• Trauma
• Blows from the front, back, or side of the head can
result in frontal lobe injury
– Even injuries not involving the head can cause bruising of the
brain (whiplash)

• Diseases
• Strokes, lesions, meningitis, tumors
 Consequences of Injury

• Three Frontal Lobe syndromes

• Orbitofrontal syndrome (lacks inhibition)
• Frontal Convexity syndrome (apathetic)
• Medial Frontal syndrome (akinetic)

• Answer lab assessments correctly but make

poor choices in real situations
• Tests of perception, construction, language, and spatial
attention are unharmed
 Three Syndromes

• Orbitalfrontal syndrome
• Commonly caused by closed-head injury
• Characterized by disinhibited, impulsive behavior,
difficulty in controlling their emotions, lacking in
judgment and are easily distracted
• Many patients are incorrectly diagnosed with a
personality disorder
• Possible link between violent offenders and traumatic
brain injury
 Three syndromes

• Frontal Convexity syndrome

• Characterized by disinterest, slowing of the motor
functions and apathy
• Inability to regulate behavior according to personal
goals
– Inability to plan ahead, lack of motivation and concern
• Generally not caring about the world around them
 Three Syndromes

• Medial Frontal syndrome

• Characterized by occasional mutism, inability to control
sexual appetite and akinesia
• Loss of sensation in lower extremities as well as
weakness also occur

• Many patients experience symptoms from

each syndrome
•H.H.
–40 years old, successful lawyer
–Left wife of 15 years to join a religious group
–Experienced a seizure and a left temporal lobe
tumor was found
–Tumor removed and H.H. was able to return to his
job
–Left with word-finding difficulties
• Directionally, the temporal lobes are anterior to the occipital lobes,
inferior to the frontal lobes and parietal lobes, and lateral to the
Fissure of Sylvius, also known the lateral sulcus
Approximately 17% of the volume of cerebral cortex
16% in the right and 17% in the left hemisphere

Temporal cortex includes auditory, olfactory,

vestibular, and visual senses ,prception of spoken and
written language

Addition to cortex, its contains white matter, part of

the lateral ventricle, the hippocampus formation, and
the amygdale.
• SUPERIOR AND INFERIOR TEMPORAL
SULCI DIVIDE TEMPORAL LOBE INTO
3 LOBES

• SUPERIOR TEMPORAL LOBE

• MIDDLE TEMPORAL LOBE

• INFERIOR TEMPORAL LOBE

SUPERIOR TEMPORAL LOBE
Primary auditory area
On the left side of the brain this
area helps with
generation and understanding of
individual words.
On the right side of the brain it
helps tell the difference between
melody, pitch, and sound
intensity
 MIDDLE TEMPORAL LOBE

The region encompasses most of

the lateral temporal cortex, a
region believed to play a part in
auditory processing and language
Language function is left lateralized
in most individuals
 INFERIOR TEMPORAL LOBE

Its corresponds to the inferior temporal gyrus.

The region encompasses most of the ventral
temporal cortex, a region believed to play a part
in high-level visual processing and recognition
memory
 Anatomy of the Temporal Lobe
• Tissue below the Sylvain Fissure and anterior
to the occipital cortex
• Subcortical Temporal Lobe Structures
– Limbic cortex
– Amygdala
– Hippocampal Formation
 The Hippocampus

The hippocampus is a scrolled structure located in the medial temporal

lobe .
 Diseases of the Hippocampus

• The hippocampus is
vulnerable to ischemia,
which is any obstruction of
blood flow or oxygen
deprivation, Alzheimer's
disease, and epilepsy.
•
Amygdala
Amygdala

Amygdala located in the medial part of the temporal pole,

anterior to and partly overlapping the hippocampal head
 Amygdala

Inputs: The association areas of visual, auditory, and

somatosensory cortices are the main inputs to the
amygdala

Outputs: The main outputs of the amygdala are to the

Hypothalamus and brainstem autonomic centers.
The amygdala is also involved with mood and the
conscious emotional response to an event
The amygdala is also extensively interconnected with
frontal cortex, medio dorsal thalamus, and the medial
striatum
The amygdala is the heart of the
emotional system. It
processes and interprets all sensory
data

It modulates the flow of emotional

information between
the cerebral cortex and the
hypothalamus, and in doing
that, it modulates autonomic,
endocrine, and affective
responses
FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF TEMPORAL
LOBE
AUDITORY – primary & Association

OLFACTORY - primary & Association

VISUAL (Recognition & association)

MEMORY

EMOTIONAL & SOCIAL

Link past and present sensory and emotional

experiences into a continuous self
 Temporal Lobe Function

• Processing auditory input

– sends ventral and dorsal streams (object identification and for
movement planning)

• Visual object recognition

– Ventral visual stream

• Biological motion perception

– Superior Temporal Sulcus

• Long-term storage of information

– Memory (limbic system, hippocampus)
 Temporal Lobe Function

Sensory Processes
Identification and Categorization of Stimuli
Cross-Modal Matching
Process of matching visual and auditory
information

Affective Responses
Emotional response is associated with a particular
stimulus

Spatial Navigation
Hippocampus – Spatial Memory
Asymmetry of Temporal Lobe Function

Left temporal lobe

Verbal memory
Speech processing

Right temporal lobe

Nonverbal memory
Musical processing
Facial processing
Symptoms of Temporal-Lobe Lesions
 8 principal symptoms of temporal lobe damage

Disturbance of auditory sensation and perception

Disturbance of selective attention of auditory and visual input
Disorders of visual perception
Impaired organization and categorization of verbal material
Disturbance of language comprehension
Impaired long-term memory
Altered personality and affective behaviour
Altered sexual behaviour

Parietal Lobe-a portion of the cerebral
cortex at the top of the head; receives
sensory input for touch and body
position.
Major Function of the Parietal Lobe

Sensing pain, Speech
pressure, and touch Visual perception and

Regulating and recognition
processing the Cognition and
body's five senses information

Movement and
visual orientation
 Portrait: Varieties of Spatial Information

• H.P.: 28 year old accountant

– Trouble doing simple subtraction problems
– Trouble reaching for objects
– Left and right confusion
– Difficulty reading
– Tumor in the left parietal lobe
 The Parietal Lobes
• Process and integrate somatosensory and
visual information
• Anatomy of the Parietal Lobes
– Anterior border - Central Fissure
– Ventral border - Sylvan Fissure
– Dorsally by the cingulate gyrus
– Posterior border - Parieto-occipital sulcus
 Parts of the Parietal Lobe

Superior parietal
lobule


Inferior parietal
lobule


Intraparietal sulcus
 A Theory of Parietal Lobe Function
• Anterior zones - process somatic sensations
and perceptions
• Posterior zones - integrate information from
vision with somatosensory information for
movement
• Spatial Map in the Brain.
Functions
• Ant. Parietal cortex- tactile
perception
•  Post.secondary sensory area-tactile
discrimination,position,
t. localization, stereognosis,
• Spatial orientation
• Constructional activity
• Language - Understanding the
grammatical & syntactical aspects of
language
• Arithmetic, calculation
 Use of Spatial Information
• Spatial information can be used :
– Object recognition
• Viewer centered object identification
– Determines the location, location orientation and motion of
an object
• Posterior parietal cortex
– Guidance of Movement
• Sensitive to eye movements
• Posterior parietal cortex
 Use of Spatial Information
• Spatial Navigation
– Cognitive spatial map
• Route knowledge, unconscious knowledge of how to
reach a destination
– Medial parietal region (MPR)
• Neurons show responses associated with making a
specific movement at a specific location
Injury to the Parietal Lobe can cause...

Problems with: Can not locate parts of

Speech your body.

Writing Can not recognize

Understanding parts of your body.
symbols and
language
 Other Aspects of Parietal Function
• Acalculia
– Inability to do arithmetic
– Noted in parietal lobe patients
– Might result from the spatial properties of
addition and subtraction
• Two digit number occupy different spaces
• “Borrowing” during subtraction
 Other Aspects of Parietal Function
• Language
– Words have spatial organization
• “tap” vs. “pat”
• Movement Sequencing
– Individual elements of the movement have a
spatial organization
 Inferior Parietal Lobule
• Apraxia for dressing.
• Constructional apraxia
• Spatial orientation deficit (rt >>lt).
• Right-left disorientation.
• Visuospatial agnosia.
• Inability to maintain visual image of patterned and verbal
material.
• Visuographic defects.
• Unilateral neglect.
• Problems with writing and defective comprehension in
reading.
 3.Supramarginal Gyrus
Ideomotor apraxia:
disruption of organization of
complex acts
– Results from left hemisphere
lesion
– Usually affects both sides,
– Can affect the face
(buccofacial) and/or the limbs
Conduction aphasia: results
from left hemisphere lesion if
the arcuate fasciculus is cut
– Severely defective
repetition
– Paraphasia in repetition
and in spontaneous
speech
– Normal comprehension
– Impaired writing.
 Supramarginal Gyrus
 Astereognosis: impairment of somatosensory discrimination
- Left hemisphere lesion: both hands affected
- Right hemisphere lesion: deficit - left hand

 Finger agnosia: inability to recognize, name, and point to

individual fingers on self and others (left hemisphere lesion).
 Right-left disorientation .
 More common with left hemisphere lesion
 Acalculia
- Loss of ability to understand & order numbers
- More severe with left hemisphere lesion
 Tactile perceptual disability: results from contralateral lesion
 Left Hemisphere Right hemisphere

1. Disorder of language 1. Anosognosia /dressing

• Fluent aphasia, alexia apraxia
2. Gerstman’s syndrome 2. Constructional apraxia
(Angular gyrus) 3. Hemi-inattention
• acalculia,
• finger agnosia, 4. Apraxia of eye
• left/right disorientation, opening
• agraphia
5. Confusion
3. Tactile agnosia
(bimanual
asteriognosis)
4. Bilateral Ideomotor &
ideational apraxia