Lobes of the Brain
The average human brain weighs about 1,400 grams (3 lb). When the brain is removed from the skull, it looks a bit like a large pinkish-gray walnut. The brain can be divided down the middle lengthwise into two halves called the cerebral hemispheres. Each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex is divided into four lobes by various sulci and gyri...the sulci (or fissures) are the grooves and the gyri are the "bumps" that can be seen on the surface of the brain. The folding of the cerebral cortex produced by these bumps and grooves increases the amount of cerebral cortex that can fit in the skull. (In fact, the total surface area of the cerebral cortex is about 324 square inches - about the size of a full page of newspaper!). Although most people have the same patterns of gyri and sulci on the cerebral cortex, no two brains are exactly alike.

FRONTAL LOBE
  • Located in front of the central sulcus.
  • Concerned with reasoning, planning, parts of speech and movement (motor cortex), emotions, and problem-solving.
Find out more about the frontal lobe with the story of Phineas Gage - an unlucky worker in 1848 who survived an iron rod that went through his head!! Another account about Mr. Gage and the frontal lobe can be found in a GREAT multimedia slide show. If you are interested in a book about Phineas Gage, try Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002).		 PARIETAL LOBE
  • Located behind the central sulcus.
  • Concerned with perception of stimuli related to touch, pressure, temperature and pain.
TEMPORAL LOBE
  • Located below the lateral fissure.
  • Concerned with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli (hearing) and memory (hippocampus).
 OCCIPITAL LOBE
  • Located at the back of the brain, behind the parietal lobe and temporal lobe.
  • Concerned with many aspects of vision.

Images used with permission of the Slice of Life.
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Hear IT!		 Gyri Gyrus Sulcus Sulci
Frontal Occipital Parietal Temporal

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Did you know?

 September 13, 1998 marked the 150th Anniversary of the injury to Mr. Phineas Gage. Find out more about poor Mr. Gage.

The skull of Phineas Gage.
Image courtesy of the National Library of Medicine, History of Medicine Collection

Take a short review quiz about the lobes of the brain.

Review the lobes of the brain with this online coloring page..

Review the lobes of the brain with this online puzzle..

Review the lobes of the brain with a SHOCKWAVE GAME! For this Build a Brain Game, you must have the Shockwave plug-in for your browser. Get the Shockwave plug-in.

BACK TO: Exploring the Nervous System Table of Contents

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