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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
07:03
Evaluation of Hemisphere Lateralization with Bilateral Local Field Potential Recording in Secondary Motor Cortex of Mice
Published on: July 31, 2019
Molecular and cellular correlates of human cortical lateralization
Loïc Labache1,2, Sidhant Chopra3,4, Xi-Han Zhang5
1Department of Psychiatry, Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA. loic.labache@rutgers.edu.
Communications Biology
|June 18, 2026
Summary
Human brain lateralization shows distinct left-hemisphere language and right-hemisphere visuospatial networks. This study reveals underlying neurochemical and cellular asymmetries, providing a biological basis for cognitive lateralization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Brain Organization
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Human brain organization features hemispheric specialization, with left dominance for language and right for visuospatial attention.
- While lateralized functions exist in other species, humans display a pronounced, species-wide bias.
- The molecular and cellular underpinnings of this brain asymmetry remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify neurochemical and cellular features linked to cortical lateralization.
- To explore the biological basis of hemispheric specialization for cognitive functions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized in vivo Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging.
- Integrated post-mortem transcriptomic and cellular analyses.
- Examined lateralized gradients in neurotransmitter receptor densities and cellular distributions.
Main Results:
- Identified lateralized gradients in neurotransmitter receptor densities along the monoaminergic-cholinergic axis.
- Observed asymmetries in mitochondrial distribution, microglia, and glutamatergic neurons.
- Delineated two distinct cortical clusters: a left-lateralized language network and a right-lateralized visuospatial network.
Conclusions:
- Revealed a biological substrate for lateralized cognition, connecting molecular and cellular features to functional brain asymmetry.
- Findings have implications for understanding brain evolution and neuropsychiatric disorders associated with disrupted lateralization.
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