Parietal Lobes: part of the “cerebral cortex” posterior to the “central sulcus.” (Kolb, 6) Bounded “anteriorly” by the central sulcus. (Blumenfeld, 24)
Primarily involved in processing “touch,” “muscle,” and “joint” information from the body and combining it with “vision,” “hearing,” and “balance” to give you a rich “multimedia” understanding of your ‘corporeal’ self and the world around it. (RamachandranTTB, 19) Involved in processing spatial information. (Goldberg, 25-26) Have important “brain maps.” (Blakeslee, 10) Knowledge of the “motor” program corresponding to the use of common objects is stored here, mostly in the left “hemisphere.” Deal mainly in physical sensation, the space on and around the body, and spatial relations in three dimensions. (Ramachandran, 44) Central spatial orientation organs of the brain. Format motor commands, output commands, for the muscles which allow the body to be oriented in space with respect to the stimuli in the environment. When you navigate in the world, when you look around in the world, when you decide what parts of the world to pay attention to, it is the parietal lobes that are doing the bulk of the work. (Rose, Episode 1 Anthony Movshon) Regions where abstract concepts, “visual imagery,” and complex thinking take place. In a sample (of Einstein’s brain tissue) from the parietal cortex, the number of glial cells was ‘off the charts.’ (Fields, 7) Damage in this area (for example from “stroke” or “Alzheimer’s Disease”) can cause “ideational apraxia” and its sub form “dressing apraxia.” (Ramachandran, 44) Damage commonly results in a phenomenon called “hemispatial neglect” where the patient loses awareness of the left half of visual space. Also may result in “somatoparaphrenia.” (RamachandranTTB, 19) (The) left parietal lobe is involved in processing grammar. (Goldberg, 26) (The) right parietal lobe is involved in creating a mental model of the spatial layout of the outside world. (These Include) your immediate ‘environs,’ plus all the locations (but not identity) of objects, hazards, and people within it, along with your physical relationship to each of these things. (RamachandranTTL, 20)
Inferior Parietal Lobule: divides into the “supramarginal gyrus” and the “angular gyrus.” Both straddle a “sulcus.” (Fisch, 278) Associated with imagery, “memory,” and “attention.” Functional studies have implicated (this region) in ‘visuospatial’ processing. (Friedman, 1) People with damage to this area, especially on the dominant (usually left) side of the brain, lose the ability to recognize words and letters and cannot spell or calculate. (Fields, 5) Lesions (here) can produce right-left confusion, “finger agnosia” and difficulties with written language. (Blumenfeld, 43) Editor's note - includes Brodmann areas 39 and 40.
Angular Gyrus: surrounds the end of the “superior temporal sulcus.” (Blumenfeld, 25) Receives visual input. (Patestas, 72) Somehow necessary for numerical computational tasks (not known how) but is not needed for other abilities such as "short-term memory," “language” or humor. Nor is it needed for understanding the numerical concepts underlying such computations. (Ramachandran, 19)
Left Angular Gyrus: part of the “left hemisphere” where the "temporal" and parietal lobes come together. Involved in processing complex statements establishing relations between things. (Goldberg, 29) Involved in arithmetic, abstraction, and aspects of language such as word finding and “metaphor.” Lesions (here) eliminate abstract skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. (RamachandranTTB, 20)
Right Angular Gyrus: part of the “temporal parietal junction.” A brain region which gives you the sense of being localized within your own body. Zap it (with an electrode) and you may have an ‘out-of-body experience.’ (Blakeslee, 205)
Supramarginal Gyrus: envelopes the “posterior” end of the “sylvian fissure.” Wraps around it in an upside-down ‘U-shape.' (Fisch, 278) Integrates auditory, visual, and “somatosensory information." (Patestas, 72)
Left Supramarginal Gyrus: conjures up a vivid image of intended skilled actions and executes them. Injury (here) hinders you from orchestrating skilled movements. (RamachandranTTB, 20)
Postcentral Gyrus: most “anterior” portion of the parietal lobes. (Blumenfeld, 25) The (major) area to which primary somatosensory information is channeled. (Patestas, 72)
Posterior Paracentral Lobule: a continuation of the postcentral gyrus. (Patestas, 72) Lies between the “central sulcus” and the marginal branch of the “calcarine sulcus.” The medial extension of the postcentral gyrus. Contains the ‘leg' component of the “sensory homunculus.” (Fisch, 282) Also referred to as the ‘posterior paracentral gyrus.’
Precuneus: (located) just in front of the “cuneus.” (Blumenfeld, 25) Located between the marginal branch of the “cingulate sulcus” and the “parieto-occipital Sulcus.” The major gyrus of the medial parietal lobe. (Fisch, 282)
Superior Parietal Lobule: an association area involved in somatosensory function. (Patestas, 72)
Posterior Parietal Association Area: function is ‘visuomotor’ and “perception.” (Blumenfeld, 31)
Right Superior Lobule: (partly) responsible for constructing your “body image” - the vivid mental awareness you have of your body’s configuration and movement in space. (RamachandranTTB, 20)