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Lateralised behaviour in first trimester human foetuses

P G Hepper1, G R McCartney, E A Shannon

  • 1Fetal Behaviour Research Centre, School of Psychology, The Queen's University of Belfast, N. Ireland, UK. p.hepper@qub.ac.uk

Neuropsychologia
|August 15, 1998
PubMed
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This study observed fetal arm movements at 10 weeks gestational age, finding a strong preference for right arm movements. Early fetal laterality may stem from muscular or spinal factors, not brain control.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Embryology
  • Behavioral biology

Background:

  • Behavioral lateralisation, such as handedness, is prevalent in human behavior.
  • The developmental origins (ontogenesis) of laterality remain largely unknown.
  • Understanding early lateralisation provides insights into neurodevelopment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the earliest observable signs of behavioural lateralisation in human fetuses.
  • To examine fetal arm movement preferences at 10 weeks of gestational age.
  • To explore potential origins of early laterality.

Main Methods:

  • Observation of left and right arm movements in 72 fetuses.
  • Assessment at 10 weeks of gestational age, the earliest stage for observing lateralised behavior.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Quantitative analysis of movement frequency for each arm.

    • Main Results:

    • A significant preference for right arm movements was observed in 85% of fetuses.
    • No difference in movement quantity was found for the preferred arm (right or left).
    • This early lateralisation suggests non-brain origins.

    Conclusions:

    • Behavioural lateralisation may originate from muscular or spinal factors at 10 weeks gestational age.
    • Early differential motor behaviour could influence later behavioural lateralisation and brain asymmetry.
    • Further research is needed to confirm the developmental trajectory of laterality.