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Simplified Brain Behavior Relationships

Frontal Lobe

  • Initiation
  • Problem-solving
  • Judgement
  • Inhibition of behavior
  • Planning/anticipation
  • Self-monitoring
  • Motor planning
  • Personality/emotions
  • Awareness of
  • abilities/limitations
  • Organization
  • Attention/concentration
  • Mental flexibility
  • Speaking (expressive language)

Temporal Lobe

  • Memory
  • Hearing
  • Understanding language (receptive language)
  • Organization and sequencing

Parietal Lobe

  • Sense of touch
  • Differentiation: size, shape, color
  • Spatial perception
  • Visual perception

 

Occipital Lobe

  • Vision

 

Cerebellum

  • Balance
  • Coordination
  • Skilled motor activity

Brain Stem

  • Breathing
  • Heart rate
  • Arousal/consciousness
  • Sleep/wake functions
  • Attention/concentration

 

General Patterns of Dysfunction by Location of Injury

Right Side of Brain

Left Side of Brain

Diffuse Injury

  • Impairments in visual-spatial perception
  • Left-neglect, or inattention to the left side of space or body
  • Decreased awareness of deficits
  • Altered creativity and music perception
  • Loss of the gestalt, or "big picture"
  • Visual memory deficits
  • Decreased control over left-sided movements
  • Difficulties in understanding language (receptive language)
  • Difficulties in speaking or verbal output (expressive language)
  • Catastrophic reactions (depression, anxiety)
  • Verbal memory deficits
  • Decreased control over right-sided movements
  • Impaired logic
  • Sequencing difficulties
  • Reduced thinking speed
  • Increased confusion
  • Reduced attention and concentration
  • Increased fatigue
  • Impaired cognitive functions across all lobes

Brain Injury Association of Oregon
1118 Lancaster Drive NE, Suite 345 Salem, OR 97301
(503) 585-0855 Helpline: (800) 544-5243
Email: biaor@biaoregon.org www.biaoregon.org/

 

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