Topics

Topic

design image
Superior parietal lobule

The superior parietal lobule (SPL) is a major cortical region of the parietal lobe, located on the dorsal surface of the cerebral hemisphere, posterior to the postcentral gyrus and superior to the intraparietal sulcus. It plays an essential role in spatial orientation, sensory integration, visuomotor coordination, and attention control.

Functionally, the SPL integrates somatosensory, visual, and proprioceptive input to enable accurate body awareness and spatial navigation. It contributes to complex hand–eye coordination, object manipulation, and awareness of limb position in space. Lesions in this region can produce spatial neglect, apraxia, or sensory disorientation.

Synonyms:

  • SPL

  • Parietal superior lobule

  • Superior parietal cortex

Arterial Supply:

  • Mainly supplied by branches of the superior division of the middle cerebral artery (MCA)

  • Also receives blood from the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), especially the paracentral region

Venous Drainage:

  • Drains primarily into the superior sagittal sinus

  • Involvement of superior cerebral veins

  • Minor drainage into cortical veins connecting to the transverse and straight sinuses

Function:

  • Integration of somatosensory information (touch, proprioception)

  • Spatial orientation and perception

  • Coordination of voluntary movement

  • Important for visual-motor coordination and attention

  • Involved in aspects of cognitive processing, such as mathematical ability and visuospatial skills

MRI Appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Cortex: Intermediate gray signal.

  • White matter: Bright relative to cortex.

  • Sulci and CSF: Low signal.

  • Pathology:

    • Ischemic lesions: Low-signal cortical-subcortical regions with effacement of sulci.

    • Tumors: Hypointense to isointense masses with expansion or distortion of cortical ribbon.

    • Hemorrhage (subacute): Hyperintense due to methemoglobin presence.

T2-weighted images:

  • Cortex: Intermediate-to-bright signal.

  • White matter: Darker than cortex.

  • CSF: Very bright.

  • Pathology:

    • Edema or gliosis: Bright hyperintense signals with loss of gray–white differentiation.

    • Infarction: Hyperintense cortical–subcortical signal in vascular distribution.

    • Demyelination: Patchy hyperintensity in white matter deep to SPL.

FLAIR (Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery):

  • Normal cortex: Intermediate signal.

  • White matter: Slightly darker.

  • CSF: Dark due to suppression.

  • Pathology:

    • Subacute infarction or gliosis: Hyperintense cortical-subcortical region with sulcal effacement.

    • Tumor infiltration: Cortical thickening or focal hyperintensity with perilesional edema.

    • Demyelinating plaques: Bright periventricular and subcortical foci adjacent to SPL.

DWI (Diffusion-Weighted Imaging):

  • Normal cortex: Isointense to background brain tissue.

  • Acute infarction: Bright (restricted diffusion) with low ADC signal.

  • Tumor: Variable restriction depending on cellularity.

  • Abscess: Central restricted diffusion (bright) with peripheral ADC drop.

T1 Fat-Sat Post-Contrast:

  • Normal cortex: Minimal enhancement.

  • Enhancing pathology:

    • Gliomas or metastases: Heterogeneous, ring, or nodular enhancement with perilesional FLAIR hyperintensity.

    • Meningioma: Homogeneous dural-based enhancement near parietal convexity.

    • Subacute infarction: Mild gyral enhancement due to reperfusion.

    • Infection: Peripheral or patchy cortical enhancement.

CT Appearance

Non-Contrast CT:

  • Gray matter: Intermediate attenuation, slightly denser than white matter.

  • White matter: Lower density.

  • CSF spaces: Hypodense.

  • Pathology:

    • Acute infarct: Hypodense cortical–subcortical area with sulcal effacement.

    • Hemorrhage: Hyperdense region along superior parietal cortex.

    • Calcified lesions: High-attenuation foci (e.g., oligodendroglioma).

    • Chronic atrophy: Cortical thinning and widened sulci.

Post-Contrast CT:

  • Normal cortex: Minimal or no enhancement.

  • Enhancing lesions:

    • Metastases or gliomas: Irregular or ring enhancement with adjacent hypodense edema.

    • Meningioma: Strong homogeneous enhancement along inner table of skull.

    • Abscess: Peripheral rim enhancement with low-attenuation center.

    • Subacute infarction: Mild gyriform enhancement in reperfused regions.

MRI images

Superior parietal lobule mri 3t axial image

MRI images

Superior parietal lobule mri 3t sagittal image