Why is the occipital lobe in the back of the brain

If a person is more prone to occipital-type seizures or photosensitivity seizures, flashes of light or images that contain multiple colors may trigger these seizures.

The type of dysfunction to affect the body can vary based on where the dysfunction or injury occurs in the occipital lobe. Some possible examples include:. The occipital lobe is one of the four major lobes in the mammalian brain. The occipital lobe is mainly responsible for interpreting the visual world around the body, such as the shape, color, and location of an object.

It then relays this information to other parts of the brain, which give this visual information its meaning. Dysfunction in the occipital lobe may cause a number of bodily dysfunctions, such as irregular vision, difficulty standing, and blindness. Some conditions, such as epilepsy, may also have a link to dysfunction in the occipital lobe. The human brain is a hugely complex organ, made of different areas that handle different functions.

The cerebellum is the part that handles many…. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. It gathers information from all over the body and coordinates activity.

We explore…. Epilepsy is a fairly common neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures. In this article, learn about the different types of epilepsy…. Epilepsy is a condition that causes seizures. It is relatively common in children. Learn about its causes, symptoms, and treatments here. The frontal lobe is a part of the brain that controls key functions relating to consciousness and communication, memory, attention, and other roles….

Everything you need to know about the occipital lobe. Surgery has proven successful in patients who have occipital lobe epilepsy. However, it is difficult to identify the entire area of issue through brain imaging and has sometimes led to post-operative visual deficit after surgery Harward et al. A way to strengthen the occipital lobes is to exercize it with visual activities.

This could include visualisation exercizes, watching a 3D movie or driving without GPS navigation. Completing exercizes like these should aid in enhancing visual-spatial skills. Thin findings from this found that the grapheme-induced color perception in synaesthesia is caused by activation of the color areas of the visual cortex V4.

They found that damages in this area can lead to word blindness with writing impairments, also known as alexia and agraphia. They found that memory impairments were the only area in which patients with isolated occipital lobe damage demonstrated a decline in performance. Only with additional damage to the temporal regions was executive dysfunction witnessed across numerous domains. They found that differences in cerebral blood flow in the occipital lobe was correlated with depression.

After the use of pharmacotherapy, they found that cerebral blood flow increased in the parieto-occipital regions. Tate et al. They found that those with chronic schizophrenia had reduced grey matter outermost area, containing neurons volume in the visual association cortex, suggesting that this area is a cause of some of the visual deficits observed in those with schizophrenia. Olivia has been working as a support worker for adults with learning disabilities in Bristol for the last four years.

Guy-Evans, O. Occipital lobe: definition, functions, and location. Simply Psychology. Binder, D. Surgical treatment of occipital lobe epilepsy. Journal of Neurosurgery, 1 , Neuropsychological functions in idiopathic occipital lobe epilepsy. Epilepsia, 41 4 , Harward, S.

Seizure outcomes in occipital lobe and posterior quadrant epilepsy surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below.

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization and proceeds from Web advertising help support our mission. Mayo Clinic does not endorse any of the third party products and services advertised. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. This content does not have an English version. Lingula : this area receives information from the contralateral inferior retina to gather information about the field of vision. The occipital lobe is heavily dependent on: The eyes, particularly the retinas, which take in and process visual information to then be further processed by the occipital lobe.

The frontal lobe , which contains the brain's motor cortex. Without motor skills, the eyes cannot move or take in information from surrounding regions. The temporal lobe, which helps assign meaning to visual information, in addition to encoding it into memories. What Happens if the Occipital Lobe is Damaged? The most obvious effect of damage to the occipital lobe is blindness, but occipital lobe damage can have other surprising effects: Epilepsy: Some seizures occur in the occipital lobe, and occipital lobe damage increases vulnerability to seizures.

Difficulties with movement: Even if you are still able to move, changes in depth perception and vision can lead to inappropriate movements and difficulty navigating the visual field. Difficulties perceiving colors, shape, dimension, and size. Difficulty recognizing familiar objects or faces. Hallucinations Inability to recognize or read written words. Inability to detect that an object is moving. Difficulty reading or writing; for example, the words may appear to move on the page.

Difficulty locating objects within the environment, even when you are able to see those objects. Difficulties with fine and gross motor skills, as well as balance. Brain Made Simple.

Published September 26, Accessed May 11, Learn More. Rehman A. Neuroanatomy, Occipital Lobe.