SkiptomenuSkiptocontentSkiptofooterUQHomeContactsStudyMapsNewsEventsLibraryGivenowmy.UQTheUniversityofQueenslandQueenslandBrainInstituteQueenslandBrainInstituteSitesearchSearchSitesearchSearchMenuLobesofthebrainHomeTheBrainBrainanatomyThebrain’scerebralcortexistheoutermostlayerthatgivesthebrainitscharacteristicwrinklyappearance.Thecerebralcortexisdividedlengthwaysintotwo cerebralhemispheresconnectedbythecorpuscallosum.Traditionally,eachofthehemisphereshas beendividedintofourlobes:frontal,parietal,temporalandoccipital. (Wikimedia)Althoughwenowknowthatmostbrainfunctionsrelyonmanydifferentregionsacrosstheentirebrainworkinginconjunction,itisstilltruethateachlobecarriesoutthebulkofcertainfunctions.(QBI)BumpsandgroovesofthebrainInhumans,thelobesofthebrainaredividedbyanumberofbumpsandgrooves.Theseareknownasgyri(bumps)andsulci(grovesorfissures).Thefoldingofthebrain,andtheresultinggyriandsulci,increasesitssurfaceareaandenablesmorecerebralcortexmattertofitinsidetheskull.Image:(L)DJ/ CCBY-SA2.0 (R) AlbertKok/ PublicDomainFrontallobeThefrontallobeisseparatedfromtheparietallobebyaspacecalledthe centralsulcus,andfromthetemporallobebythe lateralsulcus.Thefrontallobeisgenerallywhere higherexecutivefunctionsincludingemotionalregulation,planning,reasoningandproblemsolvingoccur.Thisiswhyinfrontotemporaldementia,personalitychangesareoftenthefirstsignsofthedisease.Themostfamouscaseoffrontallobedysfunctionisthestoryofrailwayworker PhineasGage.In1848,Gagewasusingatampingirontopackingunpowderforblastingatunnelthroughrock.Whilehisheadwasslightlyturned,amistakenstrikesparkedanexplosionthatforcedtherodupwardsintohislefteyeandoutthroughhisskull.Miraculously,Gagesurvived,blindedinhislefteyeandsustainingdamagetomuchofhisleftfrontallobe.Aftertheaccident,othersnoticedchangesinGage’spersonality:beforetheaccident,hewasknownasresponsibleandhard-working,butafterwards,hebecamedisrespectful,foul-mouthedandhaddifficultycarryingoutplans. Thefrontallobealsocontainstheprimarymotorcortex,themajorregionrespon