Quick facts
- Position: the upper, rear region of the cerebral cortex, behind the frontal lobe.
- Main role: interpreting sensory information, spatial relationships, and body position.
- Present in: both the left and right cerebral hemispheres.
What is the parietal lobe?
The parietal lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex. It receives and interprets information from the body and helps us create a useful picture of where we are and what is around us.
It lies behind the frontal lobe and above the temporal lobe. A similar parietal region is found in each half, or hemisphere, of the cerebrum.
What does it do?
The parietal lobe processes signals associated with touch, pressure, temperature, pain, and the position of body parts. These signals help us recognise whether something is warm, rough, heavy, or close to the skin.
It also contributes to spatial awareness. By combining sensory information with visual input, the brain can estimate an object’s shape, size, distance, and location. This supports actions such as reaching for a cup, navigating a room, or recognising where one hand is without looking at it.
The parietal lobe works as part of a wider network rather than operating alone. Sensory receptors, nerves, the spinal cord, and other brain regions all help provide and interpret the information it uses.
Left and right sides
The two parietal lobes have related roles, but different networks may be more involved in particular tasks. Language, calculation, attention, and spatial processing can rely on interacting regions across both hemispheres. Hand preference alone does not provide a complete explanation of how an individual brain is organised.
A useful way to remember it
Think of the parietal lobe as a map-and-sensation system: it helps the brain work out what the body is feeling and where things are in relation to us.