The temporal lobe is one of the most vital brain structures. Located under the lateral fissure, it consists of two hemispheres (lobes), just like the brain. This structure helps us process and translate sensory information gained from the sensory organs, especially auditory stimuli and pain.
The temporal lobe is located on the side of the head, near the temples (hence the name), between the occipital and parietal lobes. It’s associated with hearing, memory, emotion, and some aspects of language.
The olfactory cortex, the hippocampus, Wernicke’s Area, and the amygdala are the other important structures located in the temporal lobe.
What’s the Main Function of the Temporal Lobe?
The temporal lobe processes and regulates the recognition of sounds, as well as their tones and loudness. The auditory cortex, the main area which is responsible for the processing and translation of auditory stimuli, is located within the temporal lobe.
This part of the brain also helps us understand speech, language, and retain visual memories. It also plays a big role in the process of generating and storing long-term memories, as well as translation and remembering emotions. In addition, it also aids the process of facial recognition.
How Does The Temporal Lobe Affect Memory?
The temporal lobe is home to the hippocampus, i.e. the area of the brain where the short term memories are processed and turned into long term memories. It also stores declarative (explicit) and spatial memories.
The amygdala is also located in the temporal lobe, and just like the hippocampus, it supports the process of memory formation. Namely, it helps us connect emotions and senses to memories.
Also, this brain center of emotions stores the memories of our perceived feelings in order to help the individual recognize these emotional states and trigger corresponding reactions.
How Does the Temporal Lobe Affect Language Recognition?
The processing of language structures, which includes semantic processing, is one of the most important brain functions which help us understand and interact with the world around us.
The left temporal lobe function is especially important for our understanding and use of speech and language. This lobe is also where the Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas are located.
Broca’s Area
Broca’s area is the center for the regulation of motor speech. It also aids the movements which are required during the physical production of speech. Namely, it regulates the motor movement of tongue, lips, larynx, and pharynx.
Wernicke’s Area
Wernicke’s area is the sensory center of the brain which regulates and processes speech in a way that helps us both express our thoughts using the correct words and understand spoken language.
Thus, this area is important for the process of development of language in the brain, i.e. the comprehension of its written and spoken form.
Angular Gyrus
However, the contribution of this area to language recognition is relevant only through communication with the other regions of the brain that play a role in speech production and language understanding.
In this regard, the angular gyrus are the brain structures that aid the comprehension of language. They help us associate the spoken and written words with a dedicated image, sensation, or idea.
Along with the other structures of the brain which are involved in speech production and recognition, the angular gyrus contributes to the very complex and powerful network of brain structures responsible for language recognition.
How Does the Temporal Lobe Affect Our Emotions?
The temporal lobe is strongly involved with the stability of our feelings. This is because one of the primary roles of the temporal lobe is the processing of emotions. The structure involved in this is the amygdala, located in both temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex.
Amygdala and Our Reaction to Fear
Located near the base of the human brain, the amygdala spreads over the two brain hemispheres, deep into the temporal lobe. It controls and regulates the emotions of fear, happiness, sadness, anxiety, etc.
This brain structure is activated by emotional stimulation triggered by the stimuli received through our senses, in order to process them and give different emotional responses.
The amygdala is exceptionally important as a dedicated brain center for processing fear. This notion gains deeper meaning when we take into account that while the other feelings impel us forward, fear is the emotion that holds us back.
Namely, the amygdala makes an assessment of the emotional importance of the events, especially whether or not something presents a threat to us.
By formulating the brain’s response to the stimuli which trigger fear, the amygdala plays a vital role in our protection and safety. Namely, when this part of the brain receives a signal that is translated as fear, it triggers a hormonal chain-reaction, stimulating the stress hormones.
They, in turn, alert and prepare our body to react accordingly to the fear stimuli by increasing our heartbeat, elevating our blood pressure, and boosting our energy.
How Does the Temporal Lobe Affect Visual Perception?
The temporal lobe participates in the processing of our visual perceptions, i.e. the things we see. The designated area for this function is usually the non-dominant lobe or the right temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex.
This part of the brain has an active role in the process of remembering non-verbal information. With the help of the temporal lobe, we not only develop images for the received sensory stimuli (shapes, spatial relations, colors), but we also memorize these elements with a special meaning attached to them.
In this process, the amygdala plays an especially valuable role by adding biological significance to those visually perceived objects and events.
What Happens When the Temporal Lobe Is Dysfunctional?
Damage inflicted on the cerebral cortex in the temporal lobe area can lead to various medical conditions, such as memory loss, attention problems, impaired auditory perception, difficulty in understanding and producing language, etc.
In some more severe cases, the following disorders of the temporal lobe can occur:
- Temporal lobe epilepsy – A severe traumatic brain injury that results in irregular electrical activity in the temporal lobe of the brain. The symptoms include: déjà vu (a feeling of familiarity) or jamais vu (a feeling of unfamiliarity), a sudden sense of fear or anxiety, anger, sadness, or joy.
- Agnosia – As a result of damage to the temporal lobe, patients are able to comprehend the meaning and function of an object, but are nonetheless unable to recognize it.
- Broca’s aphasia – A partial loss of the ability for speech. The affected person has difficulty in using spontaneous speech, as well as maintaining control of motor speech. However, there’s no negative impact on comprehension.
- Global aphasia – This is the most severe form of aphasia. It’s an extreme (but, not total) inability to speak, read, write, and comprehend speech. The affected individual speaks in short or incomplete sentences, writes strings of words that make no sense, and speaks in sentences that don’t make sense.
- Wernicke’s Aphasia (receptive aphasia) – An inability to understand the meaning of both spoken and written speech. The fluency of speech is not affected, yet it makes little to no sense.
- Primary progressive aphasia – A neurological syndrome characterized by slow and progressive impairment of the language abilities of the affected individual as a result of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.
- Logopenic primary progressive aphasia – A form of primary progressive aphasia, resembling dementia. It’s characterized by difficulty in finding the right words the affected person wants to use. As time goes by, the speech ability deteriorates, and speech becomes slower.
To Sum Up
The temporal lobe is a dedicated brain area for the primary organization of sensory processing, auditory perception, language and speech production, and memory storage.
It’s also the area of the brain responsible for the processing of memories, sounds, the interpretation of the visual stimuli acquired through the retina of the eyes, and the control over some unconscious responses, such as: hunger, thirst, fight-or-flight reaction, sexual arousal, and emotions.
Damage to this brain structure can result in severe problems with memory, difficulty in understanding both spoken and written language, as well as maintaining emotional control of the individual.
Fun Facts
Did You Know?
- Temporal lobes have a big role in the processing and production of rhythms, dancing, and various other forms of rhythmic movements. These activities can improve the learning function of the brain, as well as our memory.
- Nutritional support can be of great help when it comes to temporal lobe problems. A high sugar load, for instance, can worsen the behaviour of aggressive people.
If aggressiveness is present without symptoms of depression, i.e. in the form of explosive or short-fuse aggressiveness, a higher-protein diet with simple carbohydrates could improve the condition.
- By using our voice, we can easily enhance our mood and memory. All forms of vocalization, such as reciting, singing, even humming, can be healing. The pleasant sound activates the dedicated centers in the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex, which in turn makes us feel more alive and more present in the moment.
- Temporal lobe damage can result in capgras delusion. It’s a disorder when the affected individual holds a belief that the people that are close to that person are not who they appear to be.
- EEG, PET, MRI, and fMRI, are the most common types of brain scan techniques used by researchers in order to study the brain and its functionality.
- Broca’s area is the only structure of the brain dedicated to the production of speech.
- Language is one of the functions that are performed asymmetrically in the human brain, due to the uneven distribution of the language-related areas in the cerebral cortex.
- The amygdala stimulates our ‘flight or fight response’ which is triggered when this part of the brain is alerted by the stimuli translated as fear in the brain. This response is aimed at preparing the individual to avoid a dangerous situation and stay safe.
- Increasing our emotional intelligence is the best way to stimulate our amygdala. It can be done by diffusing a conflict, positive interactions with the people around us, as well as increased empathy toward others.
- Mindfulness is also one of the ways for increasing our emotional intelligence. It’s the ability to live here and now, without being overburdened by the past or the future.