The temporal lobe
Temporal lobe · lobus temporalis
The part of your brain behind your temples that handles hearing, language and memory.
What it does
The temporal lobe lies on each side of the brain, behind the temples. It contains the main hearing area, recognises faces and objects, and on the left side helps you understand language through a region called Wernicke's area. Deep inside are the hippocampus and amygdala, key for memory and emotion.
Surprising fact
Some people with temporal lobe epilepsy feel an intense, unexplained sense of déjà vu just before a seizure, because the attack starts in memory circuits.
Why it matters
Recognising a familiar face in a crowd depends on an area at the bottom of the temporal lobe. Damage there can cause face blindness, even for close family.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.