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Clinical implications of brain asymmetries
Sebastian Ocklenburg1,2,3, Annakarina Mundorf4,5, Robin Gerrits6,7
1Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. sebastian.ocklenburg@medicalschool-hamburg.de.
Nature Reviews. Neurology
|May 23, 2024
Summary
Individual brain asymmetry varies significantly, impacting neurological conditions. While not diagnostic, these variations offer insights into symptom onset and treatment response in clinical neurology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Human Anatomy
Background:
- Every human brain exhibits unique structural and functional characteristics.
- Brain asymmetry, both functional and structural, is a core organizational principle.
- Individual variability in brain asymmetries is increasingly recognized as clinically relevant.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of brain asymmetries.
- To explore variations in brain asymmetries and their clinical significance.
- To discuss the relevance of brain asymmetries in various neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive review of recent findings on brain asymmetries.
- Emphasis on large-scale database studies and meta-analyses.
- Examination of brain asymmetry in neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and learning disability contexts.
Main Results:
- Significant individual variability exists in brain asymmetries.
- Alterations in brain asymmetry are linked to symptom onset in neurodegenerative diseases.
- Brain asymmetries have implications for lateralized treatments, such as brain stimulation.
Conclusions:
- Alterations in brain asymmetry are not specific enough for diagnostic biomarkers.
- Brain asymmetry can serve as a biomarker for symptoms or treatment response in specific neurological contexts.
- Recommendations are provided for integrating insights on brain asymmetry into clinical neurological practice.
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