I’m Tony Baratta. Today, I’m here with my friend Joe, an anatomical brain model. We often go to trial together, and he helps me explain brain injuries and how an injury to a particular part of the brain affects how we act.
The frontal lobe
The front part of the brain is called the frontal lobe. And the frontal lobe is otherwise known as the executive function lobe. It deals with judgment. It helps with speaking. It also helps with impulse control and things that go into decision making.
The parietal lobe
The lobe that’s in the middle part of the head and at the top of the head is called the parietal lobe. And the parietal lobe deals with all of our five senses, our tasting, our smelling, hearing, seeing and touching. So if the affected part of the brain is the parietal lobe, then the ability to have or experience those five senses could all be affected.
The occipital lobe
The back part of the brain is called the occipital lobe. And if the occipital lobe is damaged, it affects our vision.
The temporal lobe
Below this and in the area of the ears is the temporal lobe. It is the portion of the brain that helps communicate through the tunnel of our ears and deals with hearing. It communicates the sounds and interprets them, so that we can understand them.
The cerebellum
Below that, embedded in the temporal lobe, is the cerebellum. And the cerebellum is important because it controls movement. It controls balance, our muscles, and the movement of our entire body. So an injury to the cerebellum will affect our ability to walk. It also affects our gait. When someone becomes intoxicated, it is the cerebellum which is affected and that in turns affects the person’s balance.
The brain stem
The last part of the brain is called the brain stem. And the brain stem controls the communication between all of the signals that happen in the brain and the rest of the body. It also controls things that we’re not in conscious control of, such as our breathing and our heart rate.
When we go to sleep or when we feel tired, these are the kinds of things that our brain stem deals with. So an injury to the brain stem is an injury that can immediately result in death because that’s the part of the brain that controls the really important things that keep us alive.
My name is Tony Baratta, and I hope this has been helpful to you.
