The somatosensory cortex and the adjacent parietal association cortex are located in the parietal lobe. The parietal association cortex receives information from the somatosensory, visual, and auditory cortices, and is responsible for processing, perceiving, and integrating sensory information. It is connected to the frontal lobe, allowing somatosensory information to assist in voluntary motor activity. Additionally, somatosensory, visual, and auditory information can be transferred to language centers like Wernicke’s area. Lesions in the left parietal lobe can lead to Gerstmann’s syndrome, characterized by the inability to name fingers or perform numerical calculations. The right parietal lobe plays a role in determining spatial context. Localized lesions can cause neglect syndrome, where the patient is unaware of the left side of their body and objects/events on their left. 

The occipital lobe primarily handles visual processing and perception. It consists of the primary visual cortex (Brodmann area 17), surrounded by the secondary (Brodmann area 18) and tertiary (Brodmann area 19) visual cortices. Lesions in the cuneus gyrus result in blindness in the lower contralateral visual field, while those in the lingual gyrus cause blindness in the upper contralateral visual field. Connections to the frontal eye fields influence gaze direction, and projections to the midbrain assist in controlling eye movements, pupillary constriction, and accommodation. 

Two important areas for planning and executing motor tasks are the parietal cortex and the frontal cortex. The parietal cortex integrates sensory information to define the task's context. Mirror neurons, found in the inferior parietal and inferior frontal cortices of macaques, respond during the performance and observation of specific motor tasks. It is believed that mirror neurons underlie functions like understanding others' intentions, empathy, and learning tasks through observation. In humans, EEG activity consistent with mirror neuron behavior has been localized in the inferior frontal and superior parietal lobes. EEG evidence suggests that autism, which involves difficulty understanding others' intentions and emotions, may be linked to a lack of mirror neurons. 

The temporal lobe has various functions, including processing and perception of sounds, vestibular information, and higher order visual processing. The infratemporal cortex, located on the inferior surface, is involved in face recognition. The temporal lobe also houses Meyer's loop, a part of the optic pathway, which can be damaged, resulting in vision impairment in the upper part of the visual field. Wernicke's area, essential for language comprehension, is situated in the posterior region of the temporal lobe. 

The medial temporal lobe is dominated by the limbic system, which contributes to emotional behavior, learning, and memory. The limbic system exerts influence on the hypothalamus through the Papez circuit. This circuit projects from the cingulate gyrus to the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. From there, via the fornix, it connects to the mammillary bodies in the hypothalamus. The mammillothalamic tract then links the hypothalamus to the anterior thalamic nuclei, which project back to the cingulate gyrus.
The parietal lobe contains the somatosensory cortex (see ) and the adjacent parietal association cortex. The parietal association cortex gets information from somatosensory, visual, and auditory cortices and is involved in the processing, perception, and integration of sensory information. Connections with the frontal lobe allow somatosensory information to aid in voluntary motor activity. Somatosensory, visual, and auditory information can also be transferred to language centers, such as Wernicke’s area, as described later. Lesions in the left parietal lobe can result in Gerstmann’s syndrome, which includes a person’s inability to name his or her fingers (or those of another) and a loss of the ability to perform numerical calculations. The right parietal lobe is involved in determining spatial context. Localized lesions can result in the neglect syndrome, in which the patient seems unaware of the left side of his or her body and of persons, objects, and events on his or her left. (See an “
In the Clinic ” box later in this chapter.)
The major function of the occipital lobe is visual processing and perception (see ). The primary visual cortex (Brodmann area 17) lines the calcarine sulcus and is flanked by secondary (Brodmann area 18) and tertiary (Brodmann area 19) visual cortices. Lesions of these areas in the cuneus gyrus result in blindness in the lower contralateral visual field; those in the lingual gyrus result in blindness in the upper contralateral visual field. Connections to the frontal eye fields affect direction of gaze, and projections to the midbrain assists in the control of convergent eye
Twoareasimportantforplanningandexecutingmotortasksaretheparietal cortex andthefrontal cortex, theformerbecauseitintegratessensoryinformationneededtodefinethecontextofatask(see ).Mirrorneuronshavebeenfoundinboththeinferior parietal andtheinferior frontal cortices of macaques. Thesecellsrespondduringperformanceofaspecificmotortaskandalsoduringobservationofthesametaskperformedbyanotheranimal.Becausethesemirrorcellsseemtoencodeforandrespondtoveryspecificandparticulartasks,ithasbeenspeculatedthattheymayunderliesuchfunctionsasunderstandingtheintentionsofothersandempathy,aswellastheabilitytolearntasksfromobservation.Inhumans,EEGactivityconsistentwiththebehaviorofsuchmirrorneuronshasbeenlocalizedtotheinferior frontal andsuperior parietal lobes. Autism,whichinvolvesaninabilityto“read”theintentionsandemotionsofothers,hasbeenlinkedtoalackofmirrorneuronsbyEEGevidence.
movements, pupillary constriction, and accommodation, all of which occur when the eyes adjust for near vision.
The temporal lobe has many different functions, including the processing and perception of sounds and vestibular information and higher order visual processing (see ). For example, the infratemporal cortex, on its inferior surface, is involved in the recognition of faces. In addition, Meyer’s loop, which forms part of the optic pathway, passes through the temporal lobe. As a result, temporal lobe lesions can damage vision in upper part of the visual field. Similarly, a portion of Wernicke’s area, essential for the understanding of language, lies in the posterior region of the temporal lobe.
The limbic system dominates the medial temporal lobe (see
Fig. 10.4 ), and it participates in emotional behavior and in learning and memory (see the “Learning and Memory” section). The limbic system helps control emotional behavior, in part by an influence on the hypothalamus via the Papez circuit. This circuit projects from the cingulate gyrus to the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus, and from there, via the fornix, to the mammillary bodies in the hypothalamus. The mammillothalamic tract then connects the hypothalamus with the anterior thalamic nuclei, which project back to the cingulate gyrus (see