Are the Functions of the cortical lobes of the brain all the same? In your essay compare the parietal lobe to one other.

WRITE AN INTRODUCTION

The Parietal lobes of the brain are situated superior to the occipital lobes and posterior to the frontal lobes and deal with spatial sense and navigation. Sensory-motor systems play a big role in the parietal regions of the brain. The somatosensory cortex of the parietal lobe, senses from the surface of the body as it is comprised of a range of receptors and centers for processing that produce the perception of touch, temperature, pain etc. The somatosensory is the site for initial cortical processing and perception of internal senses, as previously stated. Due to the comprised somatosensory cortex and dorsal stream of the visual cortex, the regions of the parietal lobes are able to ‘map’ objects perceived visually, into bodily movements. This ‘mapping’ is called topography, whereby the sensory surfaces, for example, the retina or skin are orderly projected to one or more structures of the central nervous system. In the somatosensory cortex, information is received from opposite sides, meaning that for lesion patients, damage to either side of the parietal lobe may result in problems with verbal memory, impaired ability to control eye movement and language.
(http://psychology.about.com- The Parietal Lobe) Damage to the right hemisphere of the parietal lobe can also lead to loss of imagery and visual-spatial awareness, which then leads to partial or complete neglect of the left ‘space’ and left-side of the body. Similarly, damage to the left side of the lobe results in mathematical, word and symbolic problems. (Vallar, G, 2007). Another lobe in the brain is the occipital lobe, which is located at the back region of the brain, inferior to the parietal lobe and is associated with interpreting information and visual stimuli. It is known as the ‘center’ of our visual perception system, so, although the parietal lobe has links with our sight, the occipital lobe seems to have a main focus point of ‘control’. The occipital lobe has a lot to do with our sight and one main area of this lobe is the primary visual cortex. Notably, the ‘visual cortex’ is divided into distinct sections that process information in a unique way, for example, the mapping of V4= colour. The visual cortex processes information that falls on the retina and passes it on to neurons in the occipital lobe, so damage to these areas can cause difficulties with