“The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is his name!” Exodus 15:3 NLT

Lobes of the Brain

The brain as a whole can be divided into three main parts: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brainstem.

Cerebrum

This is the main and largest part of the brain; it is made of white and grey matter and is responsible for movement, temperature regulation, speech, judgment, thinking, hearing, vision, problem-solving, and much more.

Cerebellum

This is a small part of the brain located at the back just above the brainstem; it has two hemispheres like the cerebrum and helps coordinate voluntary muscle movements like posture and balance.

Brainstem

This connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord; it is made up of the midbrain, pons, and medulla, and it plays a large role in both voluntary and involuntary movement.

Brain with lobes labeled in color
The cerebrum has four lobes on each side; the cerebellum and brainstem are below them

The Four Lobes of the Cerebrum

The Cerebrum has four lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal.

Frontal Lobe

The front portion of the brain extending back to the central sulcus; it is involved in language, motor control, and other executive functions and higher thinking.

Parietal Lobe

Located directly behind the frontal lobe and towards the top of the brain; it is responsible for processing sensory information. Learn more about the parietal lobe.

Occipital Lobe

The very back portion of the brain where vision is processed. Learn more about the occipital lobe.

Temporal Lobe

Located on the sides of the brain; it is associated with auditory processing, memory, emotion, and also aids in language comprehension.

This lesson will focus on the function of the temporal lobe.

The Temporal Lobe

What is the temporal lobe?

  • This part of the brain is responsible for how people interact with the world.
  • It helps with perception of vision and hearing, decides which experiences are important for memory storage, and aids in communication with the outside world.
  • It contains multiple structures that have specific and important jobs for comprehension and interaction.

Temporal lobe location

  • The temporal lobes can be found on the sides of the head by the ears.
  • There is one lobe in each hemisphere of the brain.

Temporal Lobe Function

What does the temporal lobe do?

The temporal lobe has many different functions for sensation, perception, and communication with a person's surroundings.

Visual Processing and Memory

Vision is mostly processed in the occipital lobes, but some comprehension of that vision and any storage of memories from it happens in the temporal lobes.

Auditory Comprehension

The temporal lobes are the main place where brains make sense of the sounds they hear.

  • The left lobe typically focuses on verbal communication.
  • The right lobe recognizes more of the non-verbal sounds.

Language

The centers for both comprehension and production of speech can be found in the temporal lobes.

Memory Development

The temporal lobes contain structures that are vital for forming memories of experiences and interactions.

Olfactory Processing

The temporal lobes are where the sense of smell is refined and recognized.

Important Structures in the Temporal Lobe

Each temporal lobe contains multiple sub-structures which play important roles.

Wernicke's Area

This portion of the brain is very important for being able to process and understand the words of others.

Olfactory Cortex

This is where the processing occurs that allows people to smell things and recognize scents.

Limbic System

This is a complex system of structures that span multiple lobes of the brain, but its main structures are found in the temporal lobes.

  • Hippocampus: This structure is important for memory, learning, and spatial perception.
  • Amygdala: This is vital for emotion and memory regulation and is where the "fight or flight" response occurs.
Illustration of the brain with temporal lobe substructures highlighted
The temporal lobe contains many sub-structures that have important, specialized jobs

Effects of Temporal Lobe Damage

What is the temporal lobe responsible for?

  • Auditory sensation and perception
  • Language comprehension
  • Memory
  • Visual and olfactory processing

So, damage to either temporal lobe may have an effect on any of these functions, but the precise location and side of the brain that the damage occurs on will be important in understanding what deficits to expect.

The temporal lobes on each side of the brain process information in different ways and have slightly different jobs.

  • The left temporal lobe bears more responsibility in verbal comprehension and memory.
  • The right temporal lobe processes more non-verbal material like drawings or music.

As mentioned above, there are various substructures within the temporal lobe that all have different specializations as well.

The intricacy and specificity of these lobes of the brain make it difficult to predict what effects a brain injury will have.

  • Brain scans can help determine where the damage is and help tailor diagnosis and treatment.
  • Generally, if a patient comes in with temporal lobe damage, doctors will look for impacts on language comprehension and production, memory, emotional responses, and visual perception.

Lesson Summary

This lesson covered the following terms:

Related to the main structures of the brain:

  • Cerebrum: The largest part of the brain which is responsible for movement, sensory perception, temperature regulation, and many other components of higher-level thinking.
  • Cerebellum: The small fist-shaped part of the brain at the back which helps with voluntary muscle movements like posture and balance.
  • Brainstem: The connection between the cerebrum with the spinal cord which plays a large role in both voluntary and involuntary movement.

Related to the lobes of the cerebrum:

  • Frontal: The lobe that makes up the front portion of the brain and is involved in language, motor control, and other executive functions and higher thinking.
  • Parietal: The lobe located directly behind the frontal lobe at the top of the brain which aids in processing sensory information.
  • Occipital: The lobe at very back portion of the brain where vision is processed.
  • Temporal: The lobes located on the sides of the brain which are associated with auditory processing, memory, emotion, and language.

Related to structures within the temporal lobes:

  • Wernicke's Area: The area where language is understood.
  • Olfactory cortex: Where smell is processed.
  • Limbic System: A system that contains many structures in multiple lobes of the brain.
  • Hippocampus: A structure of the limbic system involved in memory and learning.
  • Amygdala: A part of the limbic system that is important for emotional regulation and the "fight or flight" response.

The lesson also explained these ideas:

  • The brain is made up of three main parts: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brainstem.
  • Each side of the cerebrum is made up of 4 lobes: temporal, occipital, frontal, and parietal.
  • The temporal lobes are responsible for memory, visual and olfactory processing, auditory comprehension and language production.
  • They are made up of many smaller parts and structures that play specific and important roles.
  • When there is damage to a temporal lobe, one's memory, speech, language comprehension, or any of the other functions of the temporal lobes may be impacted; however, the damage depends on where precisely the damage is and if it occurs on the right or left lobe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main function of the temporal lobe?

The temporal lobes main functions are visual, olfactory, and auditory processing and memory creation. It also plays important roles in emotional responses and communication.

What is the temporal lobe and what is its function?

The temporal lobes are a portion of the brain on each side of the cerebrum by the ears. They are responsible for memory, visual and olfactory processing, language comprehension and production, and have structures within them that even impact emotion and balance.

What happens when the temporal lobe is damaged?

The effects of damage to the temporal lobe are dependent on where the damage is located. The different parts and structures of the temporal lobes have a wide array of jobs, and even the right and left lobes vary in some ways. Effects could include memory problems, emotional instability, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, inability to recognize faces or objects, etc.