Multimodal-assimilation+area+(Areas+7,+39,+40)

Over the course of evolution the amygdala, hippocampus, and medial temporal lobe began to balloon outward and upward, giving rise to superior temporal lobe, and then continuing to expand in a posterior direction, forming part of the angular and marginal gyrus. Hence, this portion of the inferior parietal lobule has auditory and thus (in the left hemisphere) language capabilities. However, with the evolution of the thumb and the capability of utilizing a precision grasp coupled with tool making and related temporal-sequential tasks, the superior parietal lobule also expanded, thereby also giving rise to inferior parietal neocortical tissue.

Given its location at the border regions of the somesthetic, auditory, and visual neocortices, and containing neurons and receiving input from these modalities it became increasingly multimodally responsive; a single neuron simultaneously receiving highly processed somesthetic, visual, auditory and movement related input from the various association areas.Hence, many of the neurons in this area are multi-specialized for simultaneously analyzing auditory, somesthetic, and spatial-visual associations, and have visual receptive properties which encompass almost the entire visual field, with some cells responding to visual stimuli of almost any size, shape, or form

Inferior parietal neurons are involved in the assimilation and creation of cross modal associations and act to: -Increase the capacity for the organization, labeling and multiple categorization of sensory-motor and conceptual events One can thus create visual, somesthetic, or auditory equalivalents of objects, actions, feelings, and ideas, simultaneously.

Ex: conceptualizing a "chair" as a word, visual object, or in regard to sensation, usage, and even price.

The left IPL becomes activated when -Reading -Semantic processing -Generating words -Making syllable judgements

The IPL appears to act as a pholological storehouse that becomes activated during short-term memory and word retrieval and becomes highly active when retrieving the meaning of words during semantic processing and semnatic decision tasks.

Because of it's involvement in functions such as those described above, one side-effect of damage to the left angular gyrus, is a condition called anomia, i.e. severe word finding and confrontive naming difficulty. These individuals have difficulty: -Naming objects -Describing, pictures, etc.
 * LANGUAGE CAPABILITIES**

Moroever, lesions involving the angular gyrus, or when damage occurs between the fiber pathways linking the left inferior parietal lobule with the visual cortex, there can also result Pure Word Blindness. This is due to an inability to receive visual input from the left and right visual cortex and to transmit this information to Wernicke's area so that auditory equivalents may be called up. Such patients are thus unable to read and suffer from alexia.

Because the inferior parietal lobule also acts as a relay center where information from Wernickes region can be transmitted, via the arcuate fasciculus, to Broca's area (for expression) destructive lesions, particulary to the supramarginal gyrus of the left cerebral hemisphere can result in conduction aphasia. Although comprehension would be intact and a patient would know what she wanted to say, she would be unable to say it. Nor would she be able to repeat simple statements, read out loud, or write to dictation. This is because Broca's area is disconnected from the posterior language zones.

Other symptoms of damage/Lesions: Agraphia Lateralized Temporal-Sequential Functions Apraxia Acalculia (Including Number Agnosia, Alexia, Agraphia) Right-Left Disorientation Attention and Neglect (particularly left sided neglect), including secondary delusional denial, disconnection, confabulation, gap filling, delusional playmates, egocentric speech
 * GERSTMANN'S SYNDROME:** **Finger Agnosia**