Occipital lobe

Occipital Lobe

The Occipital lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals. The occipital lobe is the visual processing center of the mammalian brain containing most of the anatomical region of the visual cortex. The primary visual cortex is Brodmann area 17, commonly called V1 (visual one).

Anatomy

The occipital lobe is located in the rearmost portion of the skull, the name derives from its position at the back of the head (occipital means "pertaining to the occiput"). Its cortical surface is the third largest lobe of the brain located at the back of the head just over the cerebellum. This lobe is divided into several functional visual areas. Each visual area contains a full map of the visual world.

Function

The occipital lobe is the visual processing center of the mammalian brain. The most important function of the occipital lobe is that it is the primary visual area of the brain. The occipital lobe is responsible for processing visual information from the eyes and linking that information with images stored in memory.

Clinical significance

Damage to the occipital lobe can cause visual problems such as difficulty recognizing objects, an inability to identify colors, and trouble recognizing words. These are known as agnosia. Damage to the occipital lobe can also cause visual hallucinations.

See also

• Brain
• Cerebral cortex
• Visual cortex
• Agnosia

External links

• Healthline: Occipital Lobe

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  Diagram of the occipital lobe

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  Gyri of the lateral cortex

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  Animation of the occipital lobe

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  Lateral view of the brain

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  Base of the brain

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  Animated brain in color

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  Occipital lobe

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  Occipital lobe

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  Occipital lobe