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Anatomical asymmetries and functional laterality.

A Kertesz¹, M Polk, S E Black

¹Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Brain : a Journal of Neurology

|April 1, 1992

Summary

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Brain structure size correlates with functional brain laterality. Specifically, when handedness and language dominance align, larger brain structures are observed, suggesting a biological advantage.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Neuroimaging
Human Anatomy

Background:

Cerebral organization exhibits significant individual variability.
Understanding the relationship between brain structure and function is crucial for interpreting behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the association between anatomical brain asymmetries and functional laterality.
To determine how factors like handedness and language dominance influence cerebral organization.

Main Methods:

Utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for anatomical measurements.
Employed dichotic listening, visual field, and hand performance tasks to assess functional laterality.
Analyzed data from 104 healthy adult participants (right- and left-handed, male and female).

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Main Results:

Larger brain structures were consistently observed when handedness and language laterality were aligned.
Right-handers with left cerebral dominance (dichotic listening) and left-handers with right cerebral dominance showed larger brain structures.
Hand performance laterality demonstrated the strongest link to anatomical asymmetries, with left hemisphere dominance associated with larger right frontal and left occipital widths.
Left visual field dominance in right-handers correlated with wider left parietal width.

Conclusions:

Complex interactions between anatomical and functional asymmetries underlie individual differences in cerebral organization.
The alignment of hand performance and language laterality with larger anatomical structures may indicate a biological advantage.
In vivo morphometric analysis is increasingly valuable for understanding behavior and brain organization.