A stroke occurs when a portion of the brain is flooded with blood, or blood is prevented from reaching it. This can result in myriad side effects as cells in the affected part of the brain begin to die. Functions handled by that portion may be lost, temporarily or permanently.

Side effects from a stroke are based primarily on its location. Since different parts of the brain handle specific functions, doctors can often determine where a stroke has occurred by observing the patient. Below, we\’ll describe the most common side effects categorized by lobe. Their severity depends on the extent of the damage sustained by the brain.

Damage To The Frontal Lobe

This part of the brain controls motor functions as well as those that influence cognition. People who have a stroke in this area might experience weakness or paralysis on the side of their bodies opposite the affected area of the brain. They may also suffer a deficit in their ability to solve problems, make decisions, and focus their attention.

Some survivors lose their ability to speak (known as Broca\’s aphasia), control their bladders, or perform a sequence of movements to accomplish a task. Damage to the frontal lobe can also result in mood swings, where the patient vacillates between periods of calm and anger.

Damage To The Temporal Lobe

The temporal lobe influences most of the brain\’s language-related functions as well as those that affect memory, hearing, and behavior. Damage can result in different types of aphasia, such as Wernicke\’s aphasia. This is a condition that impairs the patient\’s ability to understand what others are saying.

Damage to this part of the brain can also trigger a particular form of memory loss known as dysnomia; the survivor becomes unable to retrieve names and numbers. Other forms of memory loss – both short-term and long-term – are also possible following a temporal lobe stroke.

Hearing impairments may range from an inability to recognize certain auditory cues to a complete loss of hearing. Some patients may also start to hear sounds that do not exist. Survivors may also display inexplicable signs of rage, alternating between it and impassivity.

Damage To The Parietal Lobe

This area of the brain is responsible for managing the way we perceive the world according to our senses (e.g. sight, touch, hearing, etc.). Impairments can surface in many ways. For example, the stroke survivor may lose the ability to recognize changes in temperature. Problems affecting depth perception, eye-hand coordination, and vision can also present.

Those who suffer a parietal lobe stroke may suddenly neglect their right or left side, a condition known as hemispatial neglect. They might bump their arms or legs against objects without noticing, even when doing so results in bruising or bleeding. Occasionally, when patients experience paralysis on the side affected by hemispatial neglect, they lose recognition of that side of their bodies. For instance, they might fail to brush their teeth on that side of their mouths.

Damage To The Occipital Lobe

This lobe is responsible for functions related to vision. Visual deficits can present in a variety of ways. For example, some survivors may experience hallucinations. Other might suffer an impairment that causes a loss of vision in the center of their visual field. For example, they might lose sight of a person standing directly in front of them, but remain able to see everything else. It is essentially a blind spot.

Some survivors lose the ability to see objects on one side of both eyes. The side affected by the deficit is opposite the side of the brain that suffered the stroke. For instance, if the right occipital lobe was damaged, the patient may not be able to see out of the left sides of his or her eyes.

Occasionally, when damage to the occipital lobe is severe, the patient may suffer complete blindness. When this occurs, it is usually due to an ischemic (lack of blood supply), rather than a hemorrhagic, stroke.

Many other side effects can surface following a stroke, including difficulty swallowing, a loss of balance, and persistent nausea and headaches. However, those described above are among the most common.

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