Our brain is the noblest organ and regulates all the functions of our body. But how does he do it?
Scientists have divided the brain into anatomical areas, known as cerebral lobes.
Each one plays an important role that, when taken as a whole, makes it easier for us to accomplish those tasks that seem so simple to us.
Next, we will briefly detail the function and importance of each of these.
What are the cerebral lobes?
The cerebral cortex is a complex network of neural networks made up of different kinds of cells, each capable of executing specific functions.
Stimulate the brain, its inhibition and the transmission of an electrical impulse from one region to another and many other functions.
On the surface of the brain, we find depressions called fissures and sulci. The difference between the two is the depth of the depression.
Deep depressions divide the brain into lobes. The interhemispheric longitudinal fissure is the deepest fissure and divides the brain into two hemispheres.
The shallow depressions are called grooves. These divide the lobes, in turn, into turns. A gyrus (or gyrus) is a folding or elevation of the brain surface.
General functions of the cerebral lobes
Each lobe performs certain types of functions. These act as the last station where the nervous stimuli captured in the most distal parts of our body end.
It is important to clarify that brain functions are not restricted to a specific place in the brain.
Although in clinical practice the term area is used to define the site responsible for a function, it is not the only one capable of performing it. It is simply there that the ability to execute a function is most emphasized.
Here’s a quick rundown of the vast functions that the lobes are capable of.
They control cognitive functions
Cognition is defined as the mental faculty of an individual to process or acquire new information from the senses, experience (representing acquired knowledge) and thought.
But how is it achieved? It is still unknown how a series of biological reactions give rise to the consciousness that characterizes the human being. However, it is known that the lobes exert a strong influence on cognition.
Memory, learning, attention, self-control, emotions, how consciousness processes stimuli from the external environment are clear examples of cognitive functions.
When receiving a stimulus, the brain must process it and generate a response to it. It can be motor or mental.
Control activity or voluntary movement
Even the most infinitesimal voluntary movement of our body is controlled by the brain lobes. Movement is a response to a desire to perform an action – such as getting up, picking up a pencil, or writing a message.
Although the frontal lobe (as we will see later) is largely responsible for motor action, voluntary movement acts synergistically with stimuli received in other parts of the brain.
To commit a movement, an integration of the captured stimuli must occur, which generates an appropriate response to the situation.
Process information from the senses
The five senses – sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell – are the result of a complex chain of events that culminates in the brain.
When our eyes capture a visual stimulus, they send the information via nerves to the brain (specifically the occipital lobe), where the stimulus is interpreted and appropriately responded to.
The same goes for the rest of the senses. The act of turning our head in the direction of an alarming sound occurs because the inner ear picked up the sound, converted it into an electrical discharge, and sent it to the brain.
Process and integrate memories
The functioning of memory is naturally excessively complex. A memory is the collection of past experiences – voices, sensations, faces, and more.
Therefore, when each of the sensations experienced at the moment is integrated and compiled, they are stored as memories that can be recalled later.
The mechanism behind the formation of memories, memory, its acquisition in the short and long term is still largely unknown.
Brain lobes and their specific functions
Each lobe fulfills a series of functions whose totality and integration of each form what we call consciousness.
As we have already mentioned, the fissures divide the brain into lobes. The central fissure, the lateral fissure, the parietooccipital fissure, and the preoccipital fissure are landmarks that allow the brain to be divided into large regions.
Next, we will show you, in summary, each of the lobes and their characteristic functions.
frontal lobe
It is the largest lobe, located at the front of the brain. High-order intelligent functions and motor functions of the body are executed in this area.
There are two very important regions in this lobe: the dorsolateral and inferolateral areas.
The first are the precentral, motor, and premotor cortex. Together, they are responsible for the execution of coordinated voluntary movements.
The second (inferolateral) correspond to Broca’s area, in charge of expressive language. Usually, between the two hemispheres, the dominant area is usually the left.
The prefrontal cortex is made up of regions that are responsible for intelligence, its processing, control over emotions, actions and social interactions.
parietal lobe
Located behind the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe contains the primary and secondary somatosensory area, responsible for processing sensory stimuli.
The sensations of heat, cold, vibrations, the surface, weight, texture and shape of an object are examples of stimuli that culminate in this lobe to be interpreted.
The parietal lobe also receives visual input from the occipital lobe. It helps to place what is observed in context with what is perceived.
Once received, the sensations are interpreted and sent to the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe to elaborate a response.
Lesions in this lobe cause difficulties when it comes to written language (agraphia) and difficulties in performing mathematical calculations (acalculia).
temporal lobe
It is the most lateral area of the brain. Due to its relationships with the parietal and occipital area, the frontal lobe extracts meaning and context from sensory stimuli.
It is involved in the retention of emotions, visual memory and language comprehension (Wernicke’s area), that is, giving meaning to what is heard and read.
All auditory stimuli are interpreted in this lobe. Meaning and context are given to what is heard.
For example, recognizing a familiar voice, despite not looking at the person, is achieved thanks to the temporal lobe.
Lesions in this lobe cause difficulties in understanding what is heard, as well as inhibition of certain social behaviors.
In the depth of this lobe, there are a series of anatomical structures that make up the limbic system, closely related to memory and emotions.
Occipital lobe
Located in the rear of the brain. The occipital lobe receives visual stimuli.
The primary and secondary visual cortex are responsible for contextualizing and understanding what we observe, similar to how the temporal lobe processes what we hear.
It also allows us to recognize faces, figures and so on. Therefore, any lesion in this lobe affects the way we interpret what we observe and even causes blindness.
limbic lobe
The limbic lobe has a peculiarity and that is that it extends from front to back throughout the entire medial part of our brain.
Therefore, this area shares anatomical areas with the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes.
It is made up of a large number of structures (including the parahippocampal gyrus, the hippocampus, the cingulate gyrus, and much more) that are part of the limbic system.
The limbic system is responsible for the formation of memories and the storage of information in the short and long term. He integrates and unifies all the stimuli received in each of the lobes to form memories.
Therefore, it is the reason why, after encountering a snake, the person experiences fear and tries to get as far away as possible.
Why? What she observed (visual stimuli) triggered a memory (for example, having read that snakes are venomous and can bite when cornered).
The memory caused a feeling of fear and panic, in turn activating a motor response (flight).
insula
The lobe of the insula is located in the depth of the lateral fissure of Silvio, the one that separates the temporal and frontal lobes.
Numerous functions are attributed to it: audio-visual integration (associating what we see with what we hear), taste, empathy, and other emotional and cognitive functions.
For example, the insula lobe is related to interoception. It is the individual’s ability to process and recognize stimuli originating within the body.
For example, feeling a full bladder, upset stomach, feeling your heartbeat, counting the number of breaths per minute are some examples.
Finally, it distinguishes the degree of pain experienced during a noxious stimulus (for example, a needle stick), as well as non-painful hot and cold.
Importance of the cerebral lobes
Each of the lobes fulfills specific cognitive functions that make humans who we are.
Neither works independently of the other; they depend on each one. Without the temporal lobe, the visual stimuli received by the occipital lobe would be meaningless to us.
Without the frontal lobe, there would be no reasoning, no judgment, and so on. However, without its connections to the temporal lobe, there would be no ability to articulate a verbal response to a situation.
The importance of the lobes is demonstrated when a serious enough lesion occurs and loss of some function or the ability to interpret what surrounds us is observed.
As we said at the beginning of the article, the brain is a complex network of nervous structures working at impressive speeds.
How to take care of brain health?
Aging is a natural and unstoppable process. Response speed, lucidity, mental clarity, attention and learning; all dwindle over the decades.
This cognitive decline is a reflection of the wear and tear of neurons due to their unstoppable activity at all times, from birth to death.
The brain is a specialized tissue, therefore, it cannot repair the damage that occurs to it, unlike the liver. Therefore, any stimulus you receive is permanent.
However, there are ways to mitigate this passage of time. Modifiable activities that we can implement from today to improve our brain health, among them are:
rest properly
There’s a reason why sleep is important for the brain, it’s stressed over and over again.
We don’t know why our brain needs long hours of sleep or what precisely happens during it. However, sleep has restorative effects and its deficiency has adverse effects.
Not sleeping causes irritability, confusion, memory lapses, tremors, headaches, muscle aches, and a general decline in our cognitive ability.
A study that took place over 13 years, published in the Sleep Research Society, showed that there is an inverse correlation between weight gain and hours of sleep.
That is, the fewer hours of sleep, there is an increased risk of developing obesity.
Lack of sleep has also been suggested as a possible risk factor for type II diabetes and high blood pressure.
Doing physical activity
Physical activity and cognitive functions are completely inseparable. The literature in the field of neuroscience continues to grow on the positive effects that physical activity has on the brain.
First, it increases vascularity and blood flow. As we move, our heart rate increases. In turn, it increases blood circulation and the transport of oxygen and glucose to the brain.
Second, it stimulates the release of neurotransmitters and molecules that signal the brain where, how, and when to act with increased effectiveness.
Third, it increases the plasticity of the brain. It is the ability of this to adapt and grow based on the information we capture daily. This favors learning, memory, attention and motivation.
eat healthy
Our diet is essential. Excessive consumption of saturated fats and processed sugars adversely impacts almost every function in our bodies.
We recommend consuming foods rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. A clear example is fruits, vegetables, foods rich in fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3 and 6.
These foods mitigate the deleterious effect that cellular oxidation has on neurons.
Avoid smoking and toxic substances
The cigarette is made of more than 600 substances that, when lit and inhaled, enter our body. Most are toxic and precancerous.
They affect circulation, lung and heart function, our body’s metabolism, and even our brain function.
Long-term exposure to cigarette smoke impacts brain cognition and increases the risk of developing cancer, which in turn has an indirect effect on mental state.
Moderate alcohol consumption
Moderate alcohol consumption has no significant effect on brain function.
However, long-term heavy drinking impairs brain function by diminishing attention, problem-solving skills, analysis, the ability to multitask, and memory.
Avoid stress
In moderate amounts, stress is beneficial. It stimulates our cognitive functions under pressure, increasing our analytical capacity, reasoning and the performance of complex tasks.
However, continuous stress is detrimental to mental health. It has been shown that individuals who were under continuous stress throughout their lives developed greater cognitive dysfunction than those who were not.
Chronic psychological stress accelerates the decline in mental capacity and the risk of developing dementia in old age.
It is hypothesized that the cause may be prolonged inflammatory and endocrine dysfunction, both caused by stress.
University Professional in the area of Human Resources, Postgraduate in Occupational Health and Hygiene of the Work Environment, 14 years of experience in the area of health. Interested in topics of Psychology, Occupational Health, and General Medicine.