Left Brain, Right Brain: Facts and Fantasies

Corballis, Michael C.

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001767

Cited by 213 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…Other studies have probed how lateralization of the brain effects our perception of color, the formation of language, our understanding of mathematics (Herve, Zago, Petit, Mazoyer, & Tzourio-Mazoyer, 2013), and a whole range of other cognitive and emotional functions (Davidson, 1998; Hellige, 1993). Furthermore, research shows that lateralization is not uniquely human; cerebral lateralization has also been shown to occur in non-human primates (Bianki, 1981; Corballis, 2014; Denenberg, 1981; Denenberg, Garbanati, Sherman, Yutzey, & Kaplan, 1978; Hauser & Andersson, 1994) and songbirds (Bottjer, Glaessner, & Arnold, 1985; Nottebohm, 1970). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lateralization of resting state networks and relationship to age and gender

et al. 2015

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Brain lateralization is a widely studied topic, however there has been little work focused on lateralization of intrinsic networks (regions showing similar patterns of covariation among voxels) in the resting brain. In this study, we evaluate resting state network lateralization in an age and gender-balanced functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset comprising over 600 healthy subjects ranging in age from 12 to 71. After establishing sample-wide network lateralization properties, we continue with an investigation of age and gender effects on network lateralization. All data was gathered on the same scanner and preprocessed using an automated pipeline (Scott et al., 2011). Networks were extracted via group independent component analysis (gICA) (Calhoun, Adali, Pearlson, & Pekar, 2001). Twenty-eight resting state networks discussed in previous (Allen et al., 2011) work were re-analyzed with a focus on lateralization. We calculated homotopic voxelwise measures of laterality in addition to a global lateralization measure, called the laterality cofactor, for each network. As expected, many of the intrinsic brain networks were lateralized. For example, the visual network was strongly right lateralized, auditory network and default mode networks were mostly left lateralized. Attentional and frontal networks included nodes that were left lateralized and other nodes that were right lateralized. Age was strongly related to lateralization in multiple regions including sensorimotor network regions precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus and supramarginal gyrus; and visual network regions lingual gyrus; attentional network regions inferior parietal lobule, superior parietal lobule and middle temporal gyrus; and frontal network regions including the inferior frontal gyrus. Gender showed significant effects mainly in two regions, including visual and frontal networks. For example, the inferior frontal gyrus was more right lateralized in males. Significant effects of age were found in sensorimotor and visual networks on the global measure. In summary, we report a large-sample of lateralization study that finds intrinsic functional brain networks to be highly lateralized, with regions that are strongly related to gender and age locally, and with age a strong factor in lateralization, and gender exhibiting a trend-level effect on global measures of laterality.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lateralization of resting state networks and relationship to age and gender

et al. 2015

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“…It is largely assumed that the development of language lateralization and handedness in humans, for instance, have genetic components (see Genetic Determinants of Brain Asymmetries in Humans) (37,121). Both, however, are very plastic, as they can be easily reversed in early life: early lesions in the left hemisphere can trigger right dominance for language or at least an increase in the implication of the right hemisphere, and cultural pressure has clearly been applied to push LHs to right-handedness.…”

Section: Environment/physiological Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymmetry of the Brain: Development and Implications

et al. 2015

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Although the left and right hemispheres of our brains develop with a high degree of symmetry at both the anatomical and functional levels, it has become clear that subtle structural differences exist between the two sides and that each is dominant in processing specific cognitive tasks. As the result of evolutionary conservation or convergence, lateralization of the brain is found in both vertebrates and invertebrates, suggesting that it provides significant fitness for animal life. This widespread feature of hemispheric specialization has allowed the emergence of model systems to study its development and, in some cases, to link anatomical asymmetries to brain function and behavior. Here, we present some of what is known about brain asymmetry in humans and model organisms as well as what is known about the impact of environmental and genetic factors on brain asymmetry development. We specifically highlight the progress made in understanding the development of epithalamic asymmetries in zebrafish and how this model provides an exciting opportunity to address brain asymmetry at different levels of complexity.

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“…The majority were right-handed (92.1%), while left-handed users were the remaining population (7.9%), and no ambidextrous individuals were detected. The handedness of this community of psychedelic e-users is in harmony with that of the standard healthy population (Corballis, 2014;Costanzo et al, 2015). Apparently, there are no indicators for a particular correlation between the patterns of cerebral dominance (manifested by handedness) and the tendency to (ab)use psychedelic substances.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

The Preferred Terminology Implemented by Psychedelic Users Existing on Online Platforms: A Cross-sectional Analysis

Al-Imam¹

2017

GJHS

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Background: The epidemiologic magnitude of the NPS (ab)use has been thoroughly explored and geographically mapped in the developed world. However, there are still untapped geographic locations primarily in the developing countries including the Middle East. Historically, mapping has been done via observational analytics, cross-sectionally and longitudinally, in addition to few experimental studies.

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Left Brain, Right Brain: Facts and Fantasies

Abstract: Michael Corballis discusses in this essay how the asymmetry of the brain raises questions about genetics, evolution, language, and educational and psychological disabilities; but beware of exaggerated claims of left brain/right brain polarities.

Cited by 213 publications

References 81 publications

Lateralization of resting state networks and relationship to age and gender

Lateralization of resting state networks and relationship to age and gender

Asymmetry of the Brain: Development and Implications

The Preferred Terminology Implemented by Psychedelic Users Existing on Online Platforms: A Cross-sectional Analysis

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