Brain Functions and Map
           
     
           
           

Robert P. Lehr Jr., Ph.D.
           

Professor Emeritus,

Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine,
           

Southern Illinois University
           
           In traumatic Brain injury the Brain may be injured in a specific
           location or the injury may be diffused to many different parts of
           the Brain. It is this indefinite nature of Brain injury that makes
           treatment unique for each individual patient. In the past twenty
           years, a great deal has been learned about Brain function, and we
           learn more everyday. We can make guesses about the nature of the
           problems an individual may have from knowing the location of a
           lesion. Diagnostic procedures such as CT scans and MRI's can also
           provide information about a Brain injury.As rehabilitation
           specialists, however, we can also learn about an injury by
           observing the day to day activities of the patient. All the
           activities we perform each day, whether physical or mental, are
           directed by different parts of our Brains. It is important that
           you become familiar with Brain function to better understand how
           therapies, created by rehabilitation professionals, help Brain
           injured patients. In order for you to better understand how the
           rehabilitation process works we will guide you through the
           different parts of the Brain and indicate some of the functions
           and problems resulting from injury.
           
           The Brain has many parts including the cerebral cortex, Brain
           stem, and cerebellum. By listing some of the functions of each
           part of the Brain, we will provide an overview of what problems
           occur after injury to these parts. It is important to understand
           that the Brain functions as a whole by interrelating its component
           parts. The injury may only disrupt a particular step of an
           activity that occurs in a specific part of the Brain. The
           interruption of that activity at any particular step, or out of
           sequence, can reveal the problems associated with the injury.
           Below is a list of functions and deficits or problems revealed
           when injury occurs at particular locations. The terms in
           parenthesis are the professional terms used to describe the
           deficit. Please refer to the Brain Map for more details and
           related references.
           

           
           CEREBRAL CORTEX Frontal Lobe: Most anterior, right under the
           forehead.
           
           Functions:
           
           How we know what we are doing within our environment
           (Consciousness). How we initiate activity in response to our
           environment. Judgments we make about what occurs in our daily
           activities. Controls our emotional response. Controls our
           expressive language. Assigns meaning to the words we choose.
           Involves word associations.
           Memory for habits and motor activities.
           Observed Problems:
           
           Loss of simple movement of various body parts (Paralysis).
           Inability to plan a sequence of complex movements needed to
           complete multi-stepped tasks, such as making coffee (Sequencing).
           Loss of spontaneity in interacting with others. Loss of
           flexibility in thinking. Persistence of a single thought
           (Perseveration). Inability to focus on task (Attending). Mood
           changes (Emotionally Labile). Changes in social behavior. Changes
           in personality. Difficulty with problem solving.
           Inablility to express language (Broca's Aphasia).
           Parietal Lobe: near the back and top of the head.Functions:
           
           Location for visual attention. Location for touch perception. Goal
           directed voluntary movements. Manipulation of objects.
           Integration of different senses that allows for understanding a
           single concept.
           Observed Problems:
           
           Inability to attend to more than one object at a time. Inability
           to name an object (Anomia). Inability to locate the words for
           writing (Agraphia). Problems with reading (Alexia). Difficulty
           with drawing objects. Difficulty in distinguishing left from
           right. Difficulty with doing mathematics (Dyscalculia). Lack of
           awareness of certain body parts and/or surrounding space (Apraxia)
           that leads to difficulties in self-care. Inability to focus visual
           attention.
           Difficulties with eye and hand coordination.
           Occipital Lobes: Most posterior, at the back of the
           head.Functions:
           
           Vision
           Observed Problems:
           
           Defects in vision (Visual Field Cuts). Difficulty with locating
           objects in environment. Difficulty with identifying colors (Color
           Agnosia). Production of hallucinations Visual illusions -
           inaccurately seeing objects. Word blindness - inability to
           recognize words. Difficulty in recognizing drawn objects.
           Inability to recognize the movement of an object (Movement
           Agnosia).
           Difficulties with reading and writing.
           Temporal Lobes: Side of head above ears.Functions:
           
           Hearing ability Memory aquisition Some visual perceptions
           Catagorization 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 behavior. Inability to catagorize
           objects (Catagorization). Right lobe damage can cause persistant
           talking.
           Increased aggressive behavior.
           Brain STEMDeep in Brain, leads to spinal cord.Functions:
           
           Breathing Heart Rate Swallowing Reflexes to seeing and hearing
           (Startle Response). Controls sweating, blood pressure, digestion,
           temperature (Autonomic Nervous System). Affects level of
           alertness. Ability to sleep.
           Sense of balance (Vestibular Function).
           Observed Problems:
           
           Decreased vital capacity in breathing, important for speech.
           Swallowing food and water (Dysphagia). Difficulty with
           organization/perception of the environment. Problems with balance
           and movement. Dizziness and nausea (Vertigo).
           Sleeping difficulties (Insomnia, sleep apnea).
           CEREBELLUMLocated at the base of the skull.Functions:
           
           Coordination of voluntary movement Balance and equilibrium
           Some memory for reflex motor acts.
           Observed Problems:
           
           Loss of ability to coordinate fine movements. Loss of ability to
           walk. Inability to reach out and grab objects. Tremors. Dizziness
           (Vertigo). Slurred Speech (Scanning Speech).
           Inability to make rapid movements.
           Obtaining a general understanding of the Brain and its functions
           is important to understanding the rehabilitation process. It is
           very important, however, to understand that the rehabilitation
           professional is concerned with the whole person. The
           identification of individual problems gives the rehabilitation
           team areas in which to focus treatment plans. All of these plans
           are designed to work toward the rehabilitation of the whole
           person. Each problem area affects other areas and many times
           resolving one problem has a major impact on other problems. For
           example, reestablishing postural balance and eliminating dizziness
           greatly enhances concentration and attention which allows for
           improved cognition and problem solving.
           
           Brain Injury Graphics and Animations
           Visit our TBI Shop for Brain injury related high-resolution,
           digital graphics and animations.
     
           Other article by Dr. Lehr: Emotional States in Brain Injury
     

http://www.neuroskills.com/Brain.shtml