Occipital

Occipital refers to the occipital bone, a cranial dermal bone, and the occipital lobe, one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals.

Occipital Bone

The occipital bone is a cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the back and lower part of the skull. It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone overlies the occipital lobes of the cerebrum. At the base of skull in the occipital bone, there is a large oval opening called the foramen magnum, which allows the passage of the spinal cord.

Occipital Lobe

The occipital lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals. The occipital lobe is the visual processing center of the mammalian brain containing most of the anatomical region of the visual cortex. The primary visual cortex is Brodmann area 17, commonly called V1 (visual one).

Clinical Significance

Damage to the occipital lobe can cause visual problems such as difficulty recognizing objects, an inability to identify colors, and trouble recognizing words. This is because the occipital lobe is the main center for visual processing.

See Also

• Cerebral cortex
• Foramen magnum
• Brodmann area 17

References

Occipital Resources
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