Zombies are a fantastic element used in popular media, such as films, series, and comic books. While they vary in many aspects, the core concept of a zombie is that of a living dead. They once were people whose bodies became reanimated after death for a particular reason. This happens mostly because of a virus that brings them back to life. However, these people are not fully resurrected, as they retain only a fraction of their brain activity. A classical zombie can hardly orient in space like a living person. They move slowly and clumsily, keeping their arms up to maintain balance and avoid falling. This indicates that the zombies’ vision is impaired or simply absent. More specifically, the occipital lobes cannot fulfill their designated function by processing the raw images sent through the optic nerves.
Another key feature of zombie behavior is related to their restrained movements. Most of them walk slowly, dragging their feet and struggling to pass obstacles. This may be related to the post-mortem stiffness of the limbs or rigor mortis, which is apparently not reversed by the zombie transition. However, the parts of the brain responsible for movement and balance, especially the cerebellum, are likely to be damaged by decay. Nevertheless, the essential feature of a zombie is the lack of self-control and self-identification. They lose the cognitive image of themselves pre-transition and appear to act solely on pure instincts.
In fact, their only instinct is to feed on the living. This indicates that their cerebellum is, indeed, damaged, along with the prefrontal cortex. In fact, the olfactory bulb appears to be one of the few areas of the brain that is not severely affected. It is responsible for the smells; apparently, this is how zombies track their prey with impaired vision. Overall, the variations of zombies may vary as different authors introduce those that are more agile, quick, and even relatively smart. However, the aforementioned characteristics are related to popular culture’s classic image of a zombie.