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Lateralization

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.

Somatosensation

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.

Visual Agnosia

Visual Agnosia

Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round end"...

Cerebral Hemispheres

Cerebral Hemispheres

The human brain, a complex organ, is functionally divided into two cerebral hemispheres—left and right. These hemispheres are interconnected by a structure of paramount importance, the corpus callosum. This substantial bundle of neural fibers is not just a bridge between the hemispheres but a crucial element for the brain's comprehensive functioning. It enables efficient communication between the two hemispheres, allowing each side of the brain to control and receive sensory and motor...

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
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Related Experiment Video

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Block Building Task Identifies Distinct Groups of Left/Right-hand Choice Patterns After Unilateral Peripheral Nerve Injury

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Published on: March 21, 2025

Left hand, but not right hand, reaching is sensitive to visual context.

Jos J Adam¹, Rick Müskens, Susan Hoonhorst

¹Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. jos.adam@bw.unimaas.nl

Experimental Brain Research

|March 20, 2010

Summary

The left hand shows greater sensitivity to visual context during reaching tasks compared to the right hand. This finding suggests hemispheric lateralization influences visuomotor control in reaching.

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Last Updated: Jun 14, 2026

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Published on: March 21, 2025

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Published on: January 15, 2018

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Human Motor Control
Perception-Action Coupling

Background:

Previous research indicates left-hand grasping is more susceptible to visual illusions than right-hand grasping.
This suggests a potential difference in how visual context influences motor control between the hands.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if the heightened sensitivity of the left hand to visual context observed in grasping extends to reaching movements.
To explore the role of hemispheric lateralization in visuomotor control during reaching.

Main Methods:

Participants (left- and right-handed) performed reaching movements towards targets.
Targets were presented in two visual contexts: a blank field and a field with placeholder arrays.
Reaching movements were executed with either the left or right hand.

Main Results:

The presence of placeholders improved left-hand reaching accuracy and reduced movement speed, irrespective of participant handedness.
Right-hand reaching was not significantly affected by the presence of placeholders.
Left-hand reaching accuracy was higher for far targets, while right-hand reaching accuracy was higher for near targets.

Conclusions:

The left hand exhibits greater sensitivity to visual context during reaching, supporting theories of hemispheric lateralization in visuomotor processing.
Distinct patterns in accuracy for near and far targets between the left and right hands suggest specialized processing or control mechanisms.