Influence of handedness on peripheral auditory asymmetry

It is well established that in humans many differences between right‐ and left‐handers, anatomical, physiological and functional, exist. Left‐ and mixed‐handedness is associated with greater bihemispheric representation of cognitive functions than in right‐handers. Several studies indicate a left–ri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European journal of neuroscience 1998-08, Vol.10 (8), p.2731-2737
Main Authors: Khalfa, S., Veuillet, E., Collet, L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Adolescent
Adult
Asymmetry
Auditory Pathways - physiology
Cochlea - physiology
Dominance, Cerebral - physiology
eyedness
Female
footedness
Functional Laterality - physiology
Handedness
human lateralization
Humans
Investigations
Language
Male
medial olivo-cochlear system
Olivary Nucleus - physiology
otoacoustic emissions
Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous - physiology
Physiology
Sex Factors
Specialization
Young adults
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Summary:It is well established that in humans many differences between right‐ and left‐handers, anatomical, physiological and functional, exist. Left‐ and mixed‐handedness is associated with greater bihemispheric representation of cognitive functions than in right‐handers. Several studies indicate a left–right asymmetry in the function of hearing pathways between cochlea and auditory cortex, and furthermore, that this asymmetry is associated with handedness. Our investigation focuses on the medial olivo‐cochlear system, which has been demonstrated to be more effective in the right than left ear in right‐handers. The aim of the study was to investigate this auditory efferent system asymmetry according to handedness, gender, eyedness, footedness and the presence of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. The medial efferent system has been found to be more effective in the right than left ear in right‐handers, while functioning symmetrically in left‐handers. Furthermore, the olivo‐cochlear system, assumed to be involved in basic language processing, shows an asymmetrical pattern of functioning influenced by handedness as well as by hemispheric language representation. Reverse medial efferent system asymmetry was observed in left‐handers compared to that in right‐handers, on condition that only left‐handed males were considered, or that the left‐handers were also left‐eyed, or that spontaneous otoacoustic emissions were present in the left ear of the left‐handers, or when only left‐handers without mixed‐handers were considered.
ISSN:0953-816X
1460-9568
DOI:10.1046/j.1460-9568.1998.00286.x