Do you know about this supercomputer in the brain? (Parietal Lobe)

Have you ever wondered how you can feel where your hands and feet are, even with your eyes closed? Or how you can tell when you walk into the kitchen and see the stove, cupboards, and sink, "This is a kitchen." Today we're going to talk about a very important part of our brain that's responsible for all of this.

Simply put, what is this Parietal Lobe?

Our brain is a collection of several parts. Like a team. A very important member of this team is the Parietal Lobe (pronounced "par-par-lobe"). This part is located at the top of our head, a little behind. Its main job is to collect information coming from different parts of our body, understand it, and help us act accordingly. It's like a manager in a big office. He looks at reports coming from all departments, creates a big picture, and makes decisions.

What superpowers do we get from the Parietal Lobe?

This section helps us with a lot of essential tasks in our daily lives. Let's see what they are.

1. Self-perception

It is this organ that transmits everything related to touch, such as the heat, cold, pressure, and pain you feel when someone touches your hand, to the brain and tells it, "This is what it feels like."

And that's the special ability called Proprioception . Simply put, this is what allows us to feel where our hands, feet, and fingers are, even when we close our eyes. Let's try a little something? Close your eyes and try to touch the index finger of your right hand to the index finger of your left hand. You can do that without much difficulty, right? That's what this ability called Proprioception, which comes from the Parietal Lobe, helps with.

2. Combining and understanding information from all senses (Sensory integration)

Our brain receives information from all our senses, including our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. The Parietal Lobe combines and connects all this information to form a complete picture that we can understand. Imagine that you are walking down the street and suddenly hear a car horn and see a car coming at you at a fast pace. The Parietal Lobe helps to combine both of these pieces of information and give you the message, "There may be an accident, get out of the way quickly."

3. Learned movements

It is this that helps us to practice and practice new complex things and make them easier. The best example is writing . How difficult was it for us to write letters when we were young? But now we write without even thinking. The same goes for things like doing arithmetic or playing a musical instrument. As we practice and practice, the movements related to that task are beautifully recorded in the Parietal Lobe.

4. Understanding the surrounding environment and location (Location awareness)

The Parietal Lobe helps you identify left and right, and helps you understand the location of things around you. For example, when you reach for a cup on the table, it directs your hand to move exactly to that cup.

What are the symptoms of damage to the parietal lobe?

Unfortunately, some medical conditions or accidents can damage this part. When this happens, various problems can arise. This is very important, because if you see something like this, you should seek medical advice immediately.

Let's look at the table below to see what common symptoms are.

What diseases can affect the Parietal Lobe?

There are several medical conditions that can cause these symptoms.

• Alzheimer's disease
• Lewy body dementia
• Brain tumors
• Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Brain infection (Encephalitis)
• Epilepsy-like conditions
• Rare conditions such as Gerstmann syndrome

How do I find out if there is a problem like this?

A doctor can examine you and refer you for several tests like this if necessary.

• Neurological examination: The doctor will check your balance, how you walk, and your sense of touch.
• CT scan (Computed Tomography scan) or MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): These can take clear images of the brain and check for any damage, tumors, or other problems.
• EEG (Electroencephalogram): This helps to check the electrical activity of the brain, especially to detect conditions like epilepsy.
• Blood tests: They help detect things like infections and vitamin deficiencies in the body.

How do we keep our brain (including the Parietal Lobe) healthy?

There are many things we can do to keep our brains healthy, just like our entire bodies.

• Exercise your brain: Just like exercising your body, you need to keep your brain active. Learn something new, read books, solve puzzles. These things strengthen the connections between brain cells.
• Eat a well-balanced diet: Eat foods that contain brain-healthy nutrients like omega-3 (e.g., small fish, walnuts). Eat more vegetables and fruits. These keep the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain healthy.
• Be physically active: Daily exercise improves blood flow to the brain and is also very beneficial for mental well-being.
• Manage chronic diseases: If you have diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure, follow your doctor's instructions and manage them well, as these diseases are more likely to cause brain damage.
• Wear safety gear: Wear a helmet when riding a bicycle or motorbike. Wear a seat belt when riding in a vehicle. It is very important to protect the brain from head injuries.

The parietal lobe is an amazing part of our brain that silently serves us, directly influencing how we experience, understand, and interact with the world. So taking care of our entire brain will go a long way in helping us stay healthy and happy throughout our lives.