Temporal Lobe

The temporal lobe is an of the cerebral cortex which is situated beneath the lateral sulcus on both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The temporal lobe is associated with auditory processing and is home to the primary auditory cortex. It also processes semantics in both speech and vision. The temporal lobe contains the hippocampus and plays a key role in the formation of long-term memory.

Auditory signals from the cochlea, which are relayed through several subcortical nuclei, reach the temporal lobe at the superior temporal gyrus within the lateral sulcus. This part of the temporal lobe, which is called the primary auditory cortex, is involved in hearing. Adjacent areas in the superior, posterior and lateral parts of the temporal lobes participate in high-level auditory processing. Wernicke's area, which spans the region between temporal and parietal lobes, plays a key role in speech, in tandem with Broca's area, which is in the frontal lobe. The functions of the left temporal lobe are not limited to low-level perception but extend to comprehension, naming, verbal memory and other language functions. Sound processing is controlled by the temporal lobes- in the Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area.