Some typical functions of the parietal lobe include:
– Spatial sense and navigation: The parietal lobe integrates sensory information from different modalities (sight, sound, body position) to help construct a sense of the body and its position in space. Damage can cause difficulties with navigation, wayfinding, and spatial skills.
– Tactile processing: Areas of the parietal lobe are involved in processing tactile sensory information from the skin, muscles, and joints. This helps with sensory perception and motor planning.
– Visual attention: Shifting attention between locations in the visual field relies on parietal function. Damage can cause spatial neglect (ignoring one side of space).
– Numeracy skills: The parietal lobe is thought to be involved in numerical processing, calculation, basic arithmetic, and mathematical reasoning abilities.
– Praxis (motor planning): The parietal lobe contributes to praxis, which is the ability to plan and carry out coordinated motor movements. This involves integrating sensory information with motor commands.
– Body schema: The parietal lobe’s body schema representation helps create a coherent sense of the body in space. Damage can cause deficits like problems identifying one’s own arm.
– Working memory: The posterior parietal cortex is involved in aspects of working memory, especially spatial working memory and the ability to mentally manipulate visual information.
So in summary – spatial skills, body/limb awareness, tactile perception, visual attention, numeracy/calculation, praxis, and certain types of working memory rely on intact parietal functioning.
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