Brain & Nervous System Stroke Living With The Long-Term Effects of a Temporal Lobe Stroke By Jose Vega MD, PhD linkedin Jose Vega MD, PhD, is a board-certified neurologist and published researcher specializing in stroke. Learn about our editorial process Jose Vega MD, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Nicholas R. Metrus, MD on January 28, 2020 linkedin Nicholas R. Metrus, MD, is a board-certified neurologist and neuro-oncologist. He currently serves at the Glasser Brain Tumor Center in Summit, New Jersey. Learn about our Medical Review Board Nicholas R. Metrus, MD Updated on November 20, 2020 Print A stroke is a potentially life-threatening health condition that occurs when an artery leading to or within the brain is blocked or ruptured, causing a lack of oxygen and nutrients reaching the brain tissue. It is the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of death. One type of stroke that can lead to long-term health effects is temporal lobe stroke. Verywell / Cindy Chung Overview The brain is an extremely complex organ that controls many of the body's core functions. It gets its blood supply from several different blood vessels that follow a 'map' to provide oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to specific regions. The regions of the brain each have specific functions, including physical movement, sensation, speech, thinking skills, emotions—just about everything the body does. If a stroke occurs and blood can't reach a specific region of the brain, then the particular function controlled by that part of the brain won't work as it should. A stroke can produce a variety of symptoms that correspond to which part of the brain is affected. The main regions of the brain include the brainstem, the cerebellum, and the four lobes on each side (frontal lobes, temporal lobes, parietal lobes, and occipital lobes). Causes A stroke occurs when blood flow to a region of the brain is interrupted. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the oxygen and nutrients it needs, which ultimately causes damage to that area of the brain. A stroke can be caused either by a blood clot obstructing the flow of blood to the brain (ischemic stroke) or by a blood vessel leaking or rupturing and preventing blood flow to the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). A TIA (transient ischemic attack), or "mini-stroke," is caused by a temporary interruption in blood flow that resolves without causing permanent damage. Long-Term Effects There are numerous effects of a temporal lobe stroke, ranging from difficulty speaking to hearing loss to much more. Speech The temporal lobe is one of the speech centers of the brain. It is specifically the dominant temporal lobe (the side opposite your dominant hand) that controls speech, not both temporal lobes. A temporal lobe stroke often causes a type of speech problem called Wernicke's aphasia, which is characterized by trouble making sense of spoken language. It can also include: Pure word deafness: An inability to hear language Transcortical aphasia: Problems ranging from difficulty speaking to hearing loss Anomic aphasia: Difficulty retrieving names for things and people Hearing The temporal lobe is the main region of the brain that controls the sensation of hearing. Usually, hearing loss is mild after one temporal lobe is affected by a stroke. But when both temporal lobes are affected the result might be complete deafness. This is very rare. Other hearing-related effects include: Auditory agnosia: Difficulty recognizing combinations of sounds, such as songs, musical tones, and complex conversations Auditory verbal agnosia: Similar to pure word deafness (see above) Auditory illusions: Aberrant perception of normal sounds so that they feel unusual, strange, repeated, or loud Auditory hallucinations: Hearing sounds that are not there, which may be very complex (the sound of a song being played on the radio) or very simple (whistles or sirens) Memory, Emotion, and Behavior The temporal lobe, along with the frontal lobe, is responsible for emotions and personality. There are a number of stroke-induced personality changes; the following are most closely linked with the temporal lobe. Loss of short- or long-term memory Fits of rage Violent or aggressive behavior Placidity Lack of interest Abnormally enhanced sexuality Seizures Not all strokes can cause seizures, but temporal lobe strokes are among the stroke types most closely associated with stroke-induced seizures and post-stroke epilepsy. Other rare long-term effects of a temporal lobe stroke can include: Vertigo: A type of balance problem Abnormal perception of time: A feeling that time stands still or goes by extremely quickly, or losing the sense of what year, season, or month it is Disturbances of smell and taste: Loss of smell, or changes in the way food tastes Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stroke facts. Updated September 6, 2017. Additional Reading Wong SB, Hung WC, Min MY. The Role of Gastrodin on Hippocampal Neurons after N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Excitotoxicity and Experimental Temporal Lobe Seizures. Chin J Physiol. 2016;59(3):156-64.