The 5 Lobes Of The Brain And Their Different Functions
It is very common to believe that human thoughts, feelings and emotions have their origin in two parts of the brain that work together: the cerebral hemispheres, two halves that are practically identical to each other and are distinguished by the processes that take place in them.
This idea, although partly true, provides a very simple explanation about our operation because within each hemisphere we can find an almost infinite number of organic structures in charge of carrying out different tasks and functions that influence our behavior.
In this article you can find a general explanation of some of the most important parts of our “thinking machine”: the lobes of the brain and their functions
Anatomically, it is very easy to recognize the division that exists between the two hemispheres of the brain, because seen from above a notable space keeps them apart This is the interhemispheric fissure, which is something like a rectilinear crack that separates the upper and more superficial parts of the brain and delimits where one cerebral hemisphere begins and where another ends.
However, beyond this obvious sign thanks to which we can get a very superficial idea about the anatomy of the brain, if what we want to examine is the structure of each of these elements, things get complicated.
Each hemisphere is covered by a layer called the cerebral cortex (which is the most visible part of the brain and seems to be full of wrinkles and furrows), and this cortex can be divided into different parcels based on their different functions and locations. This classification into differentiated zones within each of the cerebral hemispheres shows us the existence of several lobes of the brain. Let’s see what they are like.
What we know as lobes of the brain consists of a classification by parcels of the cerebral cortex that allows mapping the main areas of nervous activity. These are not areas radically separated from each other, but they are relatively easy to distinguish one from the other if we look at the folds and different fissures of the brain.
These areas are the lobes of the brain, and below you can read their most basic aspects taking into account that each cerebral hemisphere has the same number, types and distribution of lobes.
1. Frontal lobe
marked on blue in the image.
In humans, it is the biggest of the lobes of the brain. It is characterized by its role in the processing cognitive functions such as planning, coordination, execution and behavior control. By extension, it also makes goal setting, foresight, language articulation, and emotion regulation possible.
In addition, the ability to take others into account comes from the frontal lobe (since it counteracts the influence of impulses to satisfy our desires immediately, in favor of long-term goals) and establish theory of mind, which is our ability to infer things about the mental state of others. For example, being aware that we know something that another person does not know is possible thanks to the theory of mind.
In short, this is one of the brain lobes with a more prominent role in the functions that we would relate more directly to intelligence, planning and coordination of sequences of complex voluntary movements. This part of the cortex is typical of vertebrate animals and is especially large in mammals since this evolutionary group contains the most intelligent species on the planet.
It is located between the frontal and occipital lobes, and is mainly responsible for process sensory information coming from all parts of the body, such as touch, the sensation of temperature, pain and pressure, and is able to relate this information to number recognition. It also makes movement control possible thanks to its proximity to the planning centers of the frontal lobe.
In addition, it receives visual information from the occipital lobe and works by creating associations between this type of data and others. inputs coming from other areas.
3. Occipital lobe
marked on pink in the image. In humans, it is the smallest of the four main lobes of the brain and is located at the back of the skull, near the back of the neck.
It is the first area of the neocortex that the visual information Therefore, it has a crucial role in the recognition of objects whose light is projected onto the retina, although by itself it does not have the capacity to create coherent images. These images are created from the processing of this data in areas of the brain called visual association areas.
The occipital lobe sends information about vision to other brain lobes through two different communication channels.
4. Temporal lobe
marked on green in the image.
The temporal lobes of each hemisphere are located on the sides of the brain, arranged horizontally and attached to the temples.
They receive information from many other areas and lobes of the brain and their functions have to do with memory and pattern recognition in data coming from the senses. Therefore, it plays a role in face and voice recognition, but also in the memory of words
The insula is a part of the cortex that is hidden between the rest of the lobes of the brain and, to see it, it is necessary to separate the temporal and parietal lobes from each other. That is why it is frequently not taken into account as just another lobe.
It is attached to structures in charge of make possible the appearance of emotions, being closely connected to many areas of the limbic system, and is probably responsible for mediating between these and the cognitive processes carried out in the rest of the lobes of the brain.
