Health Services > Acquired Brain Injury Outreach Service (ABIOS)

Temporal Lobes

The temporal lobes are involved in the primary organization of sensory input (Read, 1981). Individuals with temporal lobe lesions have difficulty placing words or pictures into categories.

Language can be effected by temporal lobe damage. Left temporal lesions disturb recognition of words. Right temporal damage can cause a loss of inhibition of talking.

The temporal lobes are highly associated with memory skills. Left temporal lesions result in impaired memory for verbal material. Right side lesions result in recall of non-verbal material, such as music and drawings.

Location

Side of head above ears.

Functions:

Hearing ability
Memory acquisition
Some visual perceptions
Categorization of objects.

Observed Problems:

Difficulty in recognizing faces (Prosopagnosia).
Difficulty in understanding spoken words (Wernicke's Aphasia).
Disturbance with selective attention to what we see and hear.
Difficulty with identification of, and verbalization about objects.
Short-term memory loss.
Interference with long-term memory
Increased or decreased interest in sexual behaviour.
Inability to categorize objects (Categorization).
Right lobe damage can cause persistent talking.
Increased aggressive behaviour.

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Last Updated: 04 June 2008
Last Reviewed: 04 June 2008