Hemispheric specialization has long been considered a uniquely human trait associated with the evolution of language and handedness. Recent studies in a host of vertebrate species have reported evidence of population-level behavioral and brain asymmetries, challenging the claims for the uniqueness of hemispheric specialization to the human species. Here we summarize the findings in nonhuman species and discuss the adaptive significance and potential costs of lateralization of function.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
CorballisM.C. (2002). (See References). A comprehensive theoretical view of the relationship between language evolution and hemispheric asymmetry.
2.
DavidsonR.J.HugdahlK.. (1995). Brain asymmetry. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. A book that reviews the evidence of behavioral and brain asymmetries with a focus on findings in humans.
3.
McManusI.C. (2002). Right hand, left hand: The origins of asymmetry in brains, bodies, atoms and cultures. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. A historical account of the study of asymmetry in complex systems, aimed at nonexperts.
4.
RogersL.J.AndrewJ.R.. (2002). (See References). Selected contributions from scientists studying behavioral and brain asymmetries in nonhuman animals.
5.
WolmanD. (2005). A left-hand turn around the world: Chasing the mystery and meaning of all things southpaw. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. A funny and entertaining book, written for nonexperts, on the history of research into left-handedness and the mysteries surrounding its origin.
6.
AnnettM. (2002). Handedness and brain asymmetry: The right shift theory. Hove: Psychology Press.
7.
CantalupoC.HopkinsW.D. (2001). Asymmetric Broca's area in great apesNature, 414, 505.
8.
CantalupoC.PilcherD.HopkinsW.D. (2003). Are planum temporale and sylvian fissure asymmetries directly related? A MRI study in great apesNeuropsychologia, 41, 1975–1981.
9.
ChristmanS.D. (2001). Individual differences in Stroop and ocal-global processing: A possible role of interhemispheric interactionBrain and Cognition, 45, 97–118.
10.
CollinsR.L. (1985). On the inheritance of direction and degree of asymmetry. InGlickS.(Ed.), Cerebral lateralization in non-human species. Orlando: Academic Press.
11.
CorballisM.C. (2002). From hand to mouth: The origins of language. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
12.
CorenS.HalpernD.F. (1991). Left-handedness: A marker of decreased survival fitnessPsychological Bulletin, 109, 90–106.
13.
CrowT.J.CrowL.R.DoneD.J.LeaskS.J. (1998). Relative hand skill predicts academic ability: Global deficits at the points of hemispheric indecisionNeuropsychologia, 36, 1275–1282.
14.
GannonP.J.HollowayR.L.BroadfieldD.C.BraunA.R. (1998). Asymmetry of chimpanzee Planum Temporale: Humanlike pattern of Wernicke's language area homologScience, 279, 220–222.
15.
GhirlandaS.VallortigaraG. (2004). The evolution of brain lateralization: A game-theoretical analysis of population structureProceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 271, 853–857.
16.
HalpernM.E.GunturkunO.HopkinsW.D.RogersL.J. (2005). Lateralization in the vertebrate brain: Taking the side of model systemsJournal of Neuroscience, 9, 10351–10357.
17.
HamiltonC.R.VermeireB.A. (1988). Complementary hemispheric specialization in monkeysScience, 242, 1691–1694.
18.
HopkinsW.D. (2006). Comparative and familial analysis of handedness in great apesPsychological Bulletin, 132, 538–559.
19.
HopkinsW.D.(Ed.). (2007). Evolution of hemispheric specialization in primates (Vol. 5). New York: Academic Press.
20.
PoracC.CorenS. (1981). Lateral preferences and human behavior. New York: Springer.
21.
RaymondM.PontierD.DufourA.B.MollerA.P. (1996). Frequency-dependent maintenance of left handedness in humansProceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 263, 1627–1633.
22.
RillingJ.K.InselT.R. (1999). The primate neocortex in comparative perspective using magnetic resonance imagingJournal of Human Evolution, 37, 191–223.
23.
RogersL.J.AndrewJ.R.(Eds.). (2002). Comparative vertebrate lateralization. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
24.
VallortigaraG.RogersL.J. (2005). Survival with an asymmetrical brain: Advantages and disadvantages of cerebral lateralizationBehavioral and Brain Sciences, 28, 574–633.
25.
YeoR.ThomaR.J.GangestadS.W. (2002). Human handedness: A biological perspective. InSegalowitzS.J.RapinI.(Eds.), Handbook of neuropsychology (pp. 329–364). London: Elsevier.
