parietotemporala

Parietotemporala refers to a cortical region at the border between the parietal and temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex. In anatomical terms, it includes portions of the superior temporal gyrus as well as the middle and inferior temporal gyri and parts of the inferior parietal lobule, notably the angular and supramarginal gyri, near the temporoparietal junction. The exact borders of this region vary among brain atlases, but the temporoparietal junction is a key landmark where parietal and temporal cortices meet.

The parietotemporala area is associated with several functional domains. It plays a role in language processing, particularly auditory verbal comprehension in the posterior superior temporal areas, and contributes to higher-level language and semantic processing in temporo-parietal circuits. The angular and supramarginal gyri support reading, phonological processing, and verbal working memory, while the region participates in multisensory integration and social cognition, including aspects of theory of mind and attentional reorientation. The temporoparietal junction is also implicated in detecting salient stimuli and shifting attention between stimuli.

Clinical relevance arises from lesions or dysfunction in this region due to stroke, tumor, trauma, or neurodegenerative disease. Such involvement can produce language impairments, deficits in comprehension or repetition, apraxia of speech, acalculia, and, when parietal circuits are affected, visuospatial neglect. Seizures may originate in the temporoparietal region and disrupt the diverse functions attributed to parietotemporala.