Home > Services > Stroke Services > What Stroke Means > Brain Facts Services Brain Facts The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice-versa. Thus, a stroke to the right side of the brain can cause weakness or paralysis, a lack of movement, on the left side of the body. The cerebellum, located in the back of the brain, helps with balance and coordination. The temporal lobe on the left side of the brain directs language skills and is largely responsible for memory. The parietal lobe on the right side of the brain controls spatial skills. The brain stem commands basic body functions such as breathing, blood pressure and swallowing. The frontal lobe, located in the front of the brain, helps control motivation, emotion and behavior. Sensation, i.e. sense of touch, pain, pressure and joint movement, is controlled by a different part of the brain than movements, which