Part of the brain called the forebrain contains a number of different elements. One of these is the cerebrum, which is divided into sections referred to as lobes. The parietal lobe is one of these sections that sits in between the front and back lobes known as the frontal and occipital lobes. The name of this section of the brain may not mean much until it is understood that the parietal lobe sits under a bone called the parietal bone.

Just like most brain structures, there exist many functions of the parietal lobe and functions may be different depending on left side or right side of the lobe, since it stretches to both sides. The right side of the parietal lobe helps to do things like interpret spatial information and it may have an effect on regulating personality. Left side function of the lobe is involved in a person’s ability to perceive numbers, understand what objects are, and perform writing tasks. The left side is also involved in language production and perception.

These functions are known because damage to either left, right or both sides of the parietal lobe has been shown to inhibit certain functions or abilities. Additionally, a number of tests on people with undamaged brains have helped determined what sections are involved in certain tasks. For example, a study performed at the end of the 20th century showed the very special part the left parietal lobe and the frontal lobe have to play in mathematics operations, even simple math like arithmetic. When test participants were asked to answer simple arithmetic problems, a great deal of activity was shown in the parietal section of the brain, indicating its importance; equally important to mathematics is the frontal lobe as evidenced by this testing.

It’s understood that damage to the parietal lobe through injury, malformation, cell death, or the presence of tumors may result in significant changes in human behavior and personality. People could suffer from conditions like aphasia, which means they have trouble remembering certain words or producing some types of language. Similarly it’s been shown that ability to remember numbers reduces if damage or illness is present.

There are several conditions specifically associated with problems with the parietal lobe. One of these is Gerstmann syndrome, which may be present in childhood or adulthood (especially after a stroke), and has symptoms that include trouble writing (dysgraphia), challenges when speaking, issues in understanding the communication of others, and difficulty with math (dyscalculia). How to address the disorder isn’t always known but early diagnosis may help, especially in young children, since occupational therapy can be utilized to help overcome deficits.