Cerebral Lateralization In Nonhuman Species

Cerebral Lateralization in Nonhuman Species explores brain asymmetries in animals and the extent to which such asymmetries relate, in an evolutionary and clinical sense, to the pervasive asymmetries that characterize the human brain. Topics covered include cerebral lateralization in birds, rats, and nonhuman primates; the inheritance of direction and degree of asymmetry in the brain; the morphology of rat forebrain; and variation in the pattern of behavioral and brain asymmetries due to sex differences. Comprised of 11 chapters, this book opens with a historical overview of research into the cerebral lateralization of structures and functions in nonhuman species. The discussion then turns to lateralization of vocal control in songbirds and lateralization of several behaviors in domestic chicks. The inheritance of direction and degree of asymmetry is also considered, along with the morphology of rat forebrains. The following chapters focus on asymmetries in anatomy and pathology in the rodent brain; the link between brain lateralization and behavioral functions; and how early experiences can induce laterality. The final chapter analyzes the implications of brain asymmetries for evolution, genetics, and clinical syndromes. This monograph will be a useful resource for students, neuroscientists, clinicians, and other practitioners in fields ranging from psychobiology and psychology to anatomical sciences, neurobiology, neurochemistry, and genetics.

Discusses brain asymmetry from four perspectives - function, evolution, development and causation - covering a wide range of species, including humans.

This book explores afresh the long-standing interest, and emphasis on, the `special' capacities of primates. Some of the recent discoveries of the higher cognitive abilities of other mammals and also birds challenge the concept that primates are special and even the view that the cognitive ability of apes is more advanced than that of nonprimate mammals and birds. It is therefore timely to ask whether primates are, in fact, special and to do so from a broad range of perspectives. Divided into five sections this book deals with topics about higher cognition and how it is manifested in different species, and also considers aspects of brain structure that might be associated with complex behavior.

Lateralization in the Nervous System reviews various aspects of lateralization in the nervous system, with emphasis on approaches such as the investigation of turning tendencies and electrocortical indices of hemispheric asymmetry. Experimental paradigms and outcomes that are applicable to both human and nonhuman species are highlighted. This book is comprised of 26 chapters and begins with an overview of functional lateralization in nonhuman species such as monkeys. Brain asymmetry is examined in context with other biological asymmetries in the quest for general mechanisms and principles of lateralization. The problem of inheritance, embryology, and development of asymmetry is also discussed from a variety of environmentalist and nativist perspectives. Highly suggestive invertebrate and avian models for lateralization are presented, along with the evidence for cerebral dominance and handedness in nonhuman species. Human clinical neuropsychological findings, such as the effects of unilateral cortical and thalamic lesions and the syndrome of unilateral neglect, are considered, together with asymmetries in perception and attention. This monograph will be of interest to psychologists (physiological, cognitive, developmental, and clinical), behavioral biologists, neuroscientists, neurologists, and psychiatrists, as well as to scholars and educators from the humanities and social sciences who are concerned with the nature and biological bases of left-right differences in brain, behavior, and thinking.

Cerebral Lateralization and Cognition: Evolutionary and Developmental Investigations of Motor Biases, Volume 238, the latest release in the Progress in Brain Research series, discusses interdisciplinary research on the influence of cerebral lateralization on cognition within an evolutionary framework. Chapters of note in this release include Evolutionary Perspectives: Visual/Motor Biases and Cognition, Manual laterality and cognition through evolution: An archeological perspective, Laterality in insects, Motor asymmetries in fish, amphibians and reptiles, Visual biases and social cognition in animals, Mother and offspring lateralized social interaction across animal species, Manual bias, personality and cognition in common marmosets and other primates, and more. Presents investigations of cognitive development in an evolutionary framework Provides a better understanding of the causal relationship between motor function and brain organization Brings clinicians and neuroscientists together to consider the relevance of motor biases as behavioral biomarkers of cognitive disorders Includes future possibilities for early detection and motor intervention therapies

This book arrays recent research on the neural and behavioral lateralization of the brain relying heavily on animal modes. The authors employ the comparative method to enhance our understanding of behavior, specifically through hand use and "handedness" by drawing comparisons with studies involving primates. Topics discussed include Patterns of Lateralized Behavior in Prosimians; Behavioral Lateralization in Language-Trained Chimpanzees; Patterns of Handedness: Comparative Study of Nursery School Children and Captive Gorillas; and Rotational Behavior in Children and Adults. It is the first book of its kind devoted entirely to the question of behavioral asymmetries in all primates and thus presents a milestone as it recognizes the accumulating evidence of asymmetry and lateralized behavior in the non-human nervous system.

Research on clinical populations and studies of normal individuals support the conclusion that there are functional differences between the cerebral hemispheres. This book captures some of the major developments in the field of cerebral laterality research of the last five years. These include lateralization in non-human primates, computational models of hemispheric processing, hemispheric transfer and interaction, perceptual asymmetries, techniques to measure dynamic changes in hemispheric processing of information, and new conceptualizations of the relation between handedness and cerebral laterality. The topics discussed exhibit an interconnectedness such that the approaches and techniques used in one area of cerebral laterality research have implications for research in other disciplines. They also reflect changes in the conceptualization of general theoretical issues regarding cerebral laterality research.

This book is a collection of papers written by leaders in the field of lateralized brain function and behaviour in non-human animals. The papers cover the asymmetry of brain mechanisms and behaviour in a wide range of both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Each paper focuses on one of the following topics: the link between population-level lateralization and social behaviour; the processes in the avian brain that permit one brain hemisphere to take control of behaviour; lateralized attention to predators and the common pattern of lateralization in vertebrate species; visual and auditory lateralization; influences that alter the development of lateralization—specifically, the effect of temperature on the development of lateralization in sharks; and the importance of understanding lateralization when considering both the training and welfare of dogs. Collectively, these studies address questions of why different species have asymmetry of brain and behaviour, how it develops, and how this is dealt with by these different species. The papers report on the lateralization of different types of behaviour, each going beyond merely reporting the presence of asymmetry and shedding light on its function and on the mechanisms involved in its expression.