Handedness and cortisol in tufted capuchin monkey infants

In this research, we examined the relationship between handedness and levels of plasma cortisol in infant monkeys (Cebus apella). Specifically, we sought to test the hypothesis that stress functioning is related to hemispheric specialization and is manifested in a positive correlation between cortisol levels and the frequency of right- versus left-hand use. We found a significant relationship between stress cortisol at age 6 months and lateral bias towards greater use of the right versus left hand at ages 6 and 12 months. These data suggest an early developmental influence of stress reactivity on the emergence of hemispheric specialization for manual control in infant monkeys through the 1st year of postnatal life.