Motor and cognitive interactions during lateralized cerebral functions in children: an EEG study

Power spectra of hemispheric EEG asymmetries were recorded in children performing cognitive tasks requiring motor output. Verbal and spatial cognitive tasks were administered and subjects performed tasks with either right or left hand. The average power in the alpha band was computed. Significant changes in right/left ratios were obtained when the task changed from verbal to spatial. A major predictor of which hemisphere was most activated, however, was the hand involved in solving the task. It appears that attention must be directed to both the cognitive and motor components when investigating asymmetries of cerebral hemisphere function.