The parietal lobe: descriptive, functional and clinical anatomy

The parietal lobe functions in close relation to other brain structures, as it is the seat of reception and integration of sensory and sensory information. This lobe constitutes a veritable crossroads between motor representations and sensory and sensory projections.To understand parietal symptomatology, we need to bear in mind that this lobe is divided into three functional areas: the primary somato-sensitive area, formed by the ascending parietal gyrus; the secondary somato-sensory areas, formed by the superior parietal gyrus; and the tertiary integration areas, represented by the inferior parietal gyrus. Lesions of the primary sensory area cause superficial hypoesthesia contralateral to the lesion, and focal sensory epileptic seizures. Lesions of secondary areas are responsible for tactile discrimination disorders, parietal ataxia or proprioception disorders. Finally, lesions in tertiary areas are responsible for body schema disorders, visio-spatial disorders, spatial agnosia, praxis disorders, sensory extinction or language disorders.