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Fluctuating asymmetry and the human brain.

Robert J Thoma1, Ronald A Yeo, Steven W Gangestad

  • 1University of New Mexico and New Mexico VA Health Care System, Albuquerque 87108, USA. robert.thoma@med.va.gov

Laterality
|October 30, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Developmental instability, measured by fluctuating asymmetry (FA), predicts atypical brain asymmetry and brain structure variations. This instability also indicates differences in how the brain processes sensory information from the hands.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human genetics

Background:

  • Adaptive development relies on buffering genetic and environmental stresses, known as developmental stability.
  • Developmental instability, indicated by fluctuating asymmetry (FA), reflects organismal quality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between developmental instability and brain asymmetry.
  • To explore how developmental instability correlates with specific brain structures and sensory processing.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed developmental instability using body fluctuating asymmetry (FA).
  • Measured brain asymmetry and corpus callosum size using magnetic source imaging.
  • Examined somatosensory representation asymmetry in the hands.

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Main Results:

  • Body FA predicted deviations in typical brain asymmetry.
  • A combined measure of brain asymmetry and body FA negatively correlated with corpus callosum area, particularly the planum temporale connection.
  • This combined measure also predicted atypical hand somatosensory representation asymmetry.

Conclusions:

  • Developmental instability is linked to atypical brain asymmetry and structural variations.
  • Fluctuating asymmetry serves as a potential biomarker for developmental instability and its neurological correlates.