What is the "temporal lobe" and how does it factor into epilepsy?

What is the "temporal lobe" and how does it factor into epilepsy?

Charles Ribak, Ph.D. (Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, UC Irvine School of Medicine) gives expert video advice on: What is the "cerebellum" and how does it factor into epilepsy?; What is the "frontal lobe" and how does it factor into epilepsy? and more...

The temporal lobe is part of the cerebral cortex found just below the temporal bone. Now, the temporal bone is one of the thinnest of the skull bones, and the temporal lobe consists of areas that are specialized for hearing—this is on the lateral surface, the auditory cortex. And then we also have, as I mentioned to you earlier, structures that are involved in temporal lobe epilepsy. And these are found on the medial portion of the temporal lobe. These are the so-called mesial temporal structures. These include the hippocampus and the amygdala. A different kind of seizure starts from these regions because these regions are involved in the emotional part of the brain known as the “limbic cortex,” or the “limbic system.” And so these seizures are oftentimes referred to as “complex partial seizures.”