biology

Superior parietal lobule

Superior parietal lobule is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Superior parietal lobule rather than just read about it. In short: The superior parietal lobule is bounded in front by the upper part of the postcentral sulcus, but is usually connected with the postcentral gyrus above the end of the sulcus. The superior parietal lobule contains Brodmann's areas 5 and 7.

Key takeaways

Superior parietal lobule belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Superior parietal lobule to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Superior parietal lobule from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The superior parietal lobule is bounded in front by the upper part of the postcentral sulcus, but is usually connected with the postcentral gyrus above the end of the sulcus. The superior parietal lobule contains Brodmann's areas 5 and 7. Behind it is the lateral part of the parieto-occipital sulcus, around the end of which it is joined to the occipital lobe by a curved gyrus, the arcus parietooccipitalis. Below, it is separated from the inferior parietal lobule by the horizontal portion of the intraparietal sulcus. The superior parietal lobule is involved with spatial orientation, and receives a great deal of visual input as well as sensory input from one's hand. In addition to spatial cognition and visual perception, it has also been associated with reasoning, working memory, and attention. It is also involved with other functions of the parietal lobe in general. There are major white matter pathway connections with the superior parietal lobule such as the Cingulum, SLF I, superior parietal lobule connections of the Medial longitudinal fasciculus and other newly described superior parietal white matter connections. Damage to the superior parietal lobule can cause contralateral astereognosis and hemispatial neglect. It is also associated with deficits on tests involving the manipulation and rearrangement of information in working memory, but not on working memory tests requiring only rehearsal and retrieval processes.

Additional images

References This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 823 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Superior parietal lobule

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Superior parietal lobule claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Superior parietal lobule before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Superior parietal lobule ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Superior parietal lobule

In research: Superior parietal lobule appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Superior parietal lobule in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Superior parietal lobule is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Gyri, Neuroanatomy stubs, Parietal lobe, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Superior parietal lobule outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Superior parietal lobule in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Superior parietal lobule means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Superior parietal lobule out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Superior parietal lobule in simple terms?

Why does Superior parietal lobule matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Superior parietal lobule?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Superior parietal lobule.