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Updated: May 9, 2026
07:03
Evaluation of Hemisphere Lateralization with Bilateral Local Field Potential Recording in Secondary Motor Cortex of Mice
Published on: July 31, 2019
Hippocampal lateralization and memory in children and adults
Laura Hopf1, Maher A Quraan, Michael J Cheung
11 Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario.
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Development
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Hemispheric lateralization of cognitive processes evolves during childhood and adolescence.
- Neural underpinnings of relational memory in children versus adults remain unclear.
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a key tool for studying brain activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate hemispheric lateralization differences in hippocampal activation between children and adults.
- To examine the neural basis of relational memory using a transverse patterning (TP) task.
- To test the maturation versus compensation hypotheses regarding cognitive development.
Main Methods:
- Used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to record brain activity during a relational memory task (TP) and a control task.
- Analyzed hippocampal activation patterns in children and adults.
- Employed mean-centered partial least squares (PLS) to isolate task-specific brain activation.
Main Results:
- Findings support the maturation hypothesis: increased right hippocampal lateralization in children correlates with better TP task performance.
- Observed dynamic temporal changes in lateralization across all age groups.
- Adult-like right-lateralization patterns in children predicted superior relational memory performance.
Conclusions:
- Development of relational memory is associated with a maturation of right-lateralized hippocampal activation.
- Children's cognitive development shows a trend towards adult-like brain lateralization patterns.
- Interpreting brain lateralization requires consideration of dynamic temporal changes.
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