Define Temporal Lobe

A key feature of the brain, the temporal lobe helps a person remember the things they hear and see within long-term memory.

General Definition

• The temporal lobe is a structure within the cerebral cortex that is involved with memory and controlling speech. The lobes are in both hemispheres and are located behind the temples and just below the Sylvian fissure. The primary function of the temporal lobe is auditory perception, hearing, and the memory created by that auditory perception. As you might imagine, the audio cortex is located here, and it is the first cortical process our brains translate in general perception.

Visual Perception

• The temporal lobe also controls some visual pathways used in the process of detecting sound and identifying the visual and auditory combination to be parked in long-term memory. Spoken-language ability and understanding are also controlled by the temporal lobe.

Audio Interpretation

• Broca's Area is the area of the left temporal lobe that is primarily concerned with speech---or expressive aphasia. Wernicke's area performs a similar task with the right temporal lobe. The left temporal lobe is the main auditory perception center of the brain, and if damage occurs to the left temporal lobe, the right temporal lobe can take over the functions of hearing and speech with therapy. The right temporal lobe does have some speech already processed, most specifically, names and curse words. The right temporal lobe connects to the angular gyrus, which is a small lobe that connects to the language centers and the visual cortex. Damage to that area produces alexia, which is the inability to read, and agraphia, which is the inability to write.

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

• A major disease related directly to the temporal lobe is temporal lobe epilepsy. This form of epilepsy results in unprovoked seizures without a loss of awareness. These seizures---also known as simple partial seizures---can be triggered in the "dreamy" state between awake and asleep. Complex partial seizures, on the other hand, are seizures that take away awareness because they occur in both temporal lobes at once, removing the patient's ability to perceive.

From the Ear to the Cerebral Cortex

• The temporal lobes receive sound from the cochlea via a path of nuclei that connect them via the Sylvian gyrus to the primary audio cortex. At that point the associated parts of the temporal lobe are activated and, with all working well, the sound is associated with sight. That combination, along with the other sense at the time (such as touch, smell, and taste) is added and the memory is created in long-term memory.