Cerebral Asymmetry: A Quantitative, Multifactorial, and Plastic Brain Phenotype

The longitudinal fissure separates the human brain into two hemispheres that remain connected through the corpus callosum. The left and the right halves of the brain resemble each other, and almost every structure present in one side has an equivalent structure in the other. Despite this exceptional...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Twin research and human genetics 2012-06, Vol.15 (3), p.401-413
Main Author: Rentería, Miguel E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - pathology
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - physiopathology
Biology
Brain - anatomy & histology
Brain - physiology
Child development
Dominance, Cerebral
Dyslexia - pathology
Dyslexia - physiopathology
Functional Laterality
Humans
Medical technology
Mental illness
Neuroimaging
Neuronal Plasticity
Phenotype
Schizophrenia - pathology
Schizophrenia - physiopathology
Sex Characteristics
Sex factors
Twin studies
Twins - genetics
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Summary:The longitudinal fissure separates the human brain into two hemispheres that remain connected through the corpus callosum. The left and the right halves of the brain resemble each other, and almost every structure present in one side has an equivalent structure in the other. Despite this exceptional correspondence, the two hemispheres also display important anatomical differences and there is marked lateralization of certain cognitive and motor functions such as language and handedness. However, the mechanisms that underlie the establishment of these hemispheric specializations, as well as their physiological and behavioral implications, remain largely unknown. Thanks to recent advances in neuroimaging, a series of studies documenting variation in symmetry and asymmetry as a function of age, gender, brain region, and pathological state, have been published in the past decade. Here, we review evidence of normal and atypical cerebral asymmetry, and the factors that influence it at the macrostructural level. Given the prominent role that cerebral asymmetry plays in the organization of the brain, and its possible implication in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions, further research in this area is anticipated.
ISSN:1832-4274
1839-2628
DOI:10.1017/thg.2012.13