Discover how tasks and responsibilities are divided in this vital organ.
Cerebellum
This part of the brain is located at the base of the skull. It is responsible for movement through the coordination of voluntary movement, balance, equilibrium and some memory for reflexes.
An injury to the cerebellum may cause:
- inability to coordinate fine movements
- inability to walk
- inability to reach out and grab objects
- dizziness (vertigo)
- tremors
- difficulties with balance and movement
Occipital Lobe
Occipital lobes are located at the back of the head. These lobes are responsible for our vision - particularly our ability to see light, to recognize and identify objects. This area is called the visual cortex.
An injury to the occipital lobe may cause:
- vision deficits
- inability to locate objects
- difficulty identifying colours
- visual illusions
- inability to recognize words visually
- difficulty in recognizing drawn objects
- inability to recognize the movement of an object
- difficulties reading and writing
Parietal Lobe
Parietal lobes are located near the back and top of the head. These lobes are responsible for receiving and interpreting messages from other areas of the brain about vision, hearing, motor, sensory and memory.
An injury to the parietal lobe may cause:
- inability to name an object
- inability to locate words for writing
- difficulty reading
- difficulty drawing objects
- problems differentiating left from right
- difficulty doing mathematics
- lack of awareness of body parts and space
- difficulties with hand-eye coordination
Frontal Lobe
These are located under the forehead. They allow us to be aware of and respond to our environment (consciousness) and control our communication, language and emotional responses. The frontal lobe is also involved in planning, organizing, selective attention, language production, orientation, personality, problem solving and behaviour. The frontal lobe also contains areas that enable us to physically move.
An injury to the frontal lobe may cause:
- difficulty moving a part of the body
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difficulty performing activities of daily living, such as getting dressed in the morning
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inability to initiate social interactions and behaving inappropriately in social settings
- loss of ability to focus on a task
- mood swings
- personality changes
- difficulty with problem solving
- difficulty with expressing language
Brain Stem
Your brain stem is found deep in the base of the brain and leads to the spinal cord. This area contains three different structures: the midbrain, pons and medulla oblongata. Functions of the brain stem include control of breathing, heart rate, swallowing reflexes and gag reflexes. Sweating, blood pressure, temperature control, level of alertness, ability to sleep and sense of balance are also controlled here.
An injury to the brain stem may cause:
- depression in the capacity to breathe
- difficulty swallowing food or water (dysphagia)
- dizziness and nausea (vertigo)
- sleeping disturbances