Temporal Lobe

Intro | Primary Auditory Cortex | Central Fissure | Frontal Lobe | Lateral Fissure | Primary Motor Cortex | Occipital Lobe | Parietal Lobe | Primary Somatosensory Cortex | Temporal Lobe | Primary Visual Cortex

Part 1: Image-Mapped Tutorial
Part 2: Matching Self-Test
Part 3: Multiple-Choice Self-Test

Return to main tutorial page

The Temporal Lobe lies below (inferior to) the frontal lobe and parietal lobe and in front of (anterior to) the occipital lobe. The temporal lobe contains the region that is devoted to processing sound, called primary auditory cortex. Damage to this region in the left hemisphere will usually impair the ability to comprehend speech, whereas damage to this region in the right hemisphere will usually impair the ability to distinguish the tonal qualities of sound.

Advanced

Temporal cortex is the primary target for both auditory and vestibular (balance and equilibrium) sensory information, each coming from the ear. In addition, portions of temporal cortex are involved in complex aspects of vision. Perception of faces is disrupted after damage to these regions. A tumor of irritative nature may induce complicated visual hallucinations. The left temporal cortex contains Wernicke's area; which is essential for language comprehension.

Structures that lie beneath temporal cortex within the temporal lobe were covered in a previous tutorial on the limbic system. As you may recall, the hippocampus, amygdala, and dentate gyrus are temporal lobe, limbic structures that play important roles in motivation, emotion, and memory. Damage to this region in animals can induce the Kluver-Bucy syndrome. Symptoms include docility and an absence of appropriate anxiety or fear.