Important Aspects of Cerebral Lateralization (A Complete Guide) | optimistic minds (2023)

In this post, we will talk about some important aspects of brain lateralization. You will learn how lateralization affects our brain, what our cerebral hemispheres are responsible for and how lateralization of the brain develops in children.

What is cerebral lateralization?

Brain lateralization is the development of specialized functions in each hemisphere or side of the body that is controlled. The most obvious example of handedness is hand use; It shows in the tendency to use one hand or the other to perform different activities.

Our brain is fascinating. Its strength, capacity, complex structure and the functions it controls make it an organ that is not only vital but, above all, captivating.

French and Italian scientists have created the first complete lateralization map of brain functions, identifying which functions are more characteristic of the left or right hemisphere.

The cerebral hemispheres are the two largest structures in the brain, the part of the central nervous system that is contained within the skull. They are inverse and asymmetrical to each other, and much research has been done to identify the "dominant" hemisphere of different brain functions without having a general perspective on this cerebral lateralization.

The results of this study, published innature communication, demonstrate for the first time that decisions such as perception and action as well as emotions are more resonant for the right hemisphere than symbolic (non-verbal) communication. It's more left hemisphere based.

The conclusions were drawn after analyzing magnetic resonance and functional resonance images obtained worldwide for more than 15 years. From this information, the researchers identified four groups of extremely lateralized functions based on the brain region reflected in the images.

They found that symbolic communication, which is manifested in language, reading, arithmetic or in the language of the deaf, is strongly lateralized in the left hemisphere.

However, perceptual and action-related functions as well as emotions are registered in the right hemisphere. Also decision making, but it is based more on the regions of the right frontal lobe. This finding is groundbreaking, above all, because no asymmetry between the hemispheres in decision-making has been found so far.

The study sheds light on an age-old question about the connections between the hemispheres, as it was not known whether the two hemispheres work together to process information more quickly, or respond separately.

The brain map found that the more lateralized functions are, the fewer connections there are between hemispheres to perform a function, confirming the hypothesis that a dominant hemisphere for a function is poorly connected to the other hemisphere to be more efficient.

the cerebral hemispheres

Another conclusion that emerges from this study is that brain functions became lateralized over the course of evolution as brain size increased. That is, lateralization has specialized in specific functions to ensure brain efficiency despite the increase in neural mass.

However, the researchers draw attention to another, no less relevant finding. This optimization through lateralization came at the expense of another evolutionary advantage: functional recovery after brain injury.

This means that due to reduced connections between the hemispheres, it is certainly more difficult for the damaged hemisphere to overcome the functions lost in illness or accident.

The study sheds new light on an area of ​​neuroscience that has particular implications for the typology and way of being of people, since it is assumed, on a case-by-case basis, that most people have a dominant cerebral hemisphere.

When the right hemisphere predominates, people are imaginative and creative, and more receptive to image learning. On the contrary, when the left hemisphere predominates, in addition to solving mathematical problems, people have a greater capacity for analysis and reasoning.

These characteristics not only shape the character of people, but also their professional orientation and social performance. The new research not only confirms the lateralization of brain functions that shape our personalities, but also that this specialization makes it difficult to connect with the other hemisphere, which would allow creative people to be more rational and imaginatively realistic.

What is brain lateralization in childhood?

Crosslateralism in childhood

Simply put, handedness is the preference we all have for using a part of our body. One of the clearest examples is the use of one hand over the other, which is why we find right-handed or left-handed, but also ambidextrous. Handedness is not just limited to the use of the hands and limbs, the same applies to the ear and eye.

In the vast majority of people, the left brain rules the right side of the body, while the right brain rules the left side. The reasons for this specialization of the brain are still unknown.

How lateralization of the brain develops in children

Lateralization of the brain is a dynamic process that goes through different stages until it finally calms down around the age of 6-7 years. It is important that the child has acquired its lateralization when it reaches school age (6 years).

Adequate development of laterality is essential for learning to read and write correctly, working out your body schema, organizing right-left spatial references

–Undifferentiated stage (0-2 years): This is a moment when the child has no defined laterality. The little one discovers that he has two hands and that they belong to him. It is the stage where he enjoys grabbing and throwing the objects he is touching and realizing that this allows him to interact with the environment.

–Transition phase (2-4 years):Time when the child becomes an explorer, everything fascinates him and so he has to go from one place to another touching everything within his reach. If we look closely we will see that he still uses both hands alternately to perform any type of activity.

–Automation phase (4-6 years):From the age of 4 we will see how little by little the child automates his gestures. It is the moment when the child begins to use one side more than the other.

So he will start looking through a hole in his dominant eye, holding the phone to his preferred ear, kicking the ball with his dominant foot, picking up his pencil or glass to drink with the hand he will eventually use .

As we can see, lateralization is related to motor functions and at the same time intervenes in all levels of child development.

laterality tips

There are different types of handedness:

–To the right:where left hemisphere cerebral dominance and right motor performance exist.

–Left-handed:when the right hemisphere dominantly directs and exercises the motor action on the left side.

–False right:those people who were forced to perform tasks with their right hand when left-handedness was considered a disease. Fortunately, these types of beliefs have all but disappeared from our society.

–Ambidestro: Left-handed for some activities and right-handed for others.

–laterality:Hand and dominant eye do not belong on the same side.

How can we help children develop brain lateralization?

Activities that help develop a preferred hand are those that stimulate the brain pathways on both sides of the brain and help them mature. Importantly, many of these activities should focus more on the movements and actions of the whole body than just the hands.

The movement of turning, rolling, falling, swinging and dancing stimulates the balance organs in the brain. These play an important role in telling the brain where the body is in space and what movements are required for posture, response to stimuli, and action.

In addition, children need good balance and coordination for healthy brain maturation and skill development. Be careful not to overdo this type of activity. Children vary greatly in acquiring specific skills, so you must respect their abilities and responses.

Laterality determines the most developed side of the body in individuals.

FAQ aboutlateralization of the brain

Conclusions

In this blog post, we talk about some important aspects of brain lateralization. You have learned how lateralization affects our brain, what our cerebral hemispheres are responsible for and how lateralization of the brain develops in children.

Brain lateralization is the development of specialized functions in each hemisphere or side of the body that is controlled. The most obvious example of handedness is hand use; It shows in the tendency to use one hand or the other to perform different activities.

Simply put, handedness is the preference we all have for using a part of our body. One of the clearest examples is the use of one hand over the other, which is why we find right-handed or left-handed, but also ambidextrous. Handedness is not just limited to the use of the hands and limbs, the same applies to the ear and eye.

In the vast majority of people, the left brain rules the right side of the body, while the right brain rules the left side. The reasons for this specialization of the brain are still unknown.

If you have any questions or comments about the content, let us know!

references

The architecture of functional lateralization and its relation to callosal connectivity in the human brain. Vyacheslav R. Karolis, Maurizio Corbetta and Michel Thiebaut de Schotten. Nature Communications Volume 10, item number: 1417 (2019).

Groen M.A., Whitehouse A.J., Badcock N.A., & Bishop D.V. (2012). Does cerebral lateralization develop? A study using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound to assess lateralization for speech production and visuo-spatial memory. Brain and Behavior, 2(3), 256-269. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.56

Frontiersin.org - The evolution of lateralized brain circuits

Dana.org - In search of the right right left brain answers