Lateralization of emotionality in right parietal cortex of the rat

Lesions of right parietal cortex in the rat increase activity in the open field compared with left parietal lesions, especially after section of the corpus callosum. Left or right motor or medial frontal cortex lesions do not have a lateralized effect. This evidence of a localized asymmetry between the cerebral hemispheres strongly implies that right parietal cortex has a role in emotionality in this species. Our findings suggest a functional similarity to right parietal cortex in man.