Brain Anatomy: The Role of the Temporoparietal Junction

The temporoparietal junction is the part of the brain where the temporal lobe and parietal lobe meet. The temporoparietal junction’s left side and right side are each aligned with a respective hemisphere of the brain. Various forms of cognition are associated with the temporoparietal junction, including both social cognition and understanding of self.

The brain's temporoparietal junction has two halves. The right TPJ exists where the temporal and parietal lobes meet in the brain's right hemisphere; the left TPJ falls where these same brain regions meet the left hemisphere. On both sides of the brain, the TPJ can be found near the lateral sulcus (Sylvian fissure). Specifically, the TPJ bridges the inferior parietal lobule and the posterior superior temporal sulcus.

Typical temporoparietal junction neural activity processes information from the limbic system, the thalamus, the visual cortex, the auditory cortex, and the primary somatosensory cortex. Mental processes that funnel through the TPJ include:

1. 1. Theory of mind: where the brain can understand its own activity) such cognition lets humans self-evaluate behavior, make predictions and moral judgments, monitor their own mental states, and engage in other forms of perspective-taking.
2. 2. Social cognition: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies show that the role of the right temporoparietal junction involves empathy, sympathy, and the ability to perceive other people’s mental states. Other aspects of social interaction correlate with rTPJ activations, and fMRI studies suggest that damage to this region, such as lesions, can diminish self-awareness and social skills and cause a social functioning deficit.
3. 3. Language processing: Per fMRI data, the left temporoparietal junction takes cues from external environments—particularly spoken and written language—and connects them to existing knowledge, memories, and emotions. The left TPJ contains both Wernicke's area and the angular gyrus—regions that process language.

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