Continuities in emotion lateralization in human and non-human primates

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Comparative Psychology
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Hemispheric lateralization, once thought to be exclusively human, is now recognized across the animal kingdom.
• Emotion processing is a key lateralized function vital for adaptive behavior and survival.
• Affective neuroscience research is exploring the neural underpinnings of emotion processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review research on facial emotion expression and perception lateralization in non-human primates.
• To determine if human patterns of hemispheric asymmetry in emotion processing are present in other primate species.
• To understand the evolution of hemispheric specialization for emotion.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing scientific literature on non-human primate emotion lateralization.
• Analysis of studies examining the expression and perception of facial emotions in various primate species.
• Comparative analysis of findings to identify patterns of hemispheric asymmetry.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests that hemispheric asymmetries in emotion processing are present in non-human primates.
• Patterns of lateralization for facial emotion expression and perception are being identified in primate research.
• These findings indicate potential organizational continuity in the neural substrates of emotion processing across primate evolution.

Conclusions:

• Hemispheric specialization for emotion processing is likely an evolutionarily conserved trait in primates.
• Studying emotion lateralization in non-human primates provides valuable insights into the evolution of human brain functions.
• This review supports the view of shared neural substrates for emotion processing between humans and other primates.