Lingual Gyrus: Functions And Characteristics Of This Part Of The Brain
There are many structures that are part of the nervous system, the cerebral cortex being one of the most developed in humans. In it it is possible to observe the presence of a large number of gyri and sulci, being folds that allow the condensation of a large amount of neuronal mass in a small space.
These folds are part of the gray matter of the brain and participate in different functions. One of them is the lingual turn about which we are going to talk briefly throughout this article.
The lingual gyrus: what is it and where is it found?
One of the cerebral gyri or gyri is called the lingual gyrus, that is, the part that extends to the outside of the folds present in the cerebral cortex. This is a gyrus that is not as well-known or popular as others such as the supramarginal gyrus, but it nevertheless seems to have great importance in different brain functions.
The lingual turn It is located in the occipital lobe , in its middle part, and is located between the calcarine fissure and the collateral sulcus. At its ends it joins on one side to the visual area when it is in contact with the wedge, while on the other it ends up joining the parahippocampal gyrus in the temporal lobe.
Although the name of this brain region seems to indicate a relationship with speech, the truth is that its name has nothing to do with its function: the name of this gyrus comes largely from its tongue-like shape However, curiously, it is involved in some aspects of language, although not in oral ones.
Main functions of this part of the brain
The lingual gyrus is a cerebral gyrus that is involved or participates in different functions of great relevance for human beings Among them we can highlight the following.
1. Importance in visual processing and color perception
It has been observed that the lingual gyrus, as an active part of the occipital lobe, is associated with the ability to encode complex images. It also seems to be linked to the subjective perception of color, producing its lesion achromatopsia.
2. Participate in visual memory
Likewise, different research has shown that the lingual turn not only participates in image encoding but also has a relevant role in visual memory, your injury producing different stimulus recognition problems In fact, the lingual turn is one of the areas that allows us to identify stimuli with symbolic meaning, such as letters. In addition to this, it also allows you to recognize faces and objects.
3. Reading
We have said previously that the lingual turn, despite its name, was not associated to a large extent with the ability to speak but that it did have a certain implication in language. And another of the great functions associated with the lingual turn has to do with reading, being one of the parts of the brain that allows identify and name stimuli through vision to later transform them, being a relevant first step to allow reading.
In addition to the purely visual, the lingual turn participates in the processing of semantic information both in situations in which the visual stimulus has symbolic elements per se or the subject tries to attribute them to itself.
5. Involvement in emotion
The lingual turn It is also connected to the parahippocampal gyrus , so it is in contact with the limbic system. It has been observed that the activation of this gyrus correlates with the impression of emotionality in the images.
6. The ability to imagine: divergent thinking and creativity
The ability to create and develop strategies different from the usual and known ones in order to solve problems is also linked to the activity of the lingual gyrus, although it is more strongly associated with the frontal lobe. Specifically, the lingual turn would be linked to the creation and elaboration of mental images that are part of the imagination.
7. The ability to dream
Another aspect that has been associated with the lingual turn is the link that has been observed between this turn and the possibility of make images during sleep being at least partly responsible for us being able to have dreams.
Problems associated with your injury
Injury to the lingual gyrus can generate different types of problems and deficits that can lead to a deterioration or limitation in the functionality of the human being in his daily life. Among them, the possible appearance of pure alexia or the inability to read (despite maintaining the ability to write) stands out.
Another problem that may appear is prosopagnosia, a type of visual agnosia in which we are not able to recognize familiar faces.
Memorization and spatial navigation are also altered as well as achromatopsia or color blindness may also appear.
It has also been observed that injury to the lingual gyrus, generally due to cerebral infarctions in that area, tends to generate the loss of dream capacity (that is, having dreams). In addition to the above, the lingual turn has also been associated with other problems: an example is the recently studied link of this turn with the severity of anxiety-depressive symptoms in young people.
Excess activation of this area also has effects: it has been observed that Visual noise may be generated, the perception of small black and white dots throughout the visual field which resemble the snow effect that would occur on an old television whose antenna malfunctioned.
