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Interlimb transfer of grasp orientation is asymmetrical
V Frak1, D Bourbonnais, I Croteau
1Département de Kinanthropologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada. frak.victor@uqam.ca
Thescientificworldjournal
|January 2, 2007
Summary
The human brain shows hemispheric asymmetry in motor control. This study found that the dominant hemisphere influences finger positioning during grasping, extending left-hemisphere dominance to prehension.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Human motor system exhibits hemispheric asymmetry in behavioral specialization.
- Hand preference in grasping infers hemispheric dominance, but grasp orientation in natural prehension is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate grasp orientation during natural prehension in relation to manual lateralization.
- To determine if hemispheric dominance extends to the programming of finger positions during grasping.
Main Methods:
- Thirty right-handed adults performed precision grasps of a cylinder.
- The opposition axis (OA) was defined by thumb and index finger contact points.
- Primary hand movements were followed by trailing hand movements to assess interhemispheric influence.
Main Results:
- Each hemisphere can program the orientation of the opposition axis (OA).
- Right-hand primary grasps significantly influenced the OA orientation of the trailing left hand.
- These findings suggest hemispheric specialization in motor control extends to prehension.
Conclusions:
- The study extends the understanding of hemispheric dominance in the human motor system.
- Left-hemisphere dominance is confirmed for programming final finger positions during prehension.
- Manual lateralization plays a role in the fine-tuning of grasping movements.
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