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Symmetry
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Early Laterality in Behaviour and Brain
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Early Laterality in Behaviour and Brain

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Life Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 June 2023) | Viewed by 9874

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Gerald Young

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Glendon College, York University, Toronto, Canada
Interests: development; early laterality; behavioural causality; disability; ethics
Prof. Dr. Eliza Nelson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
Interests: handedness; laterality; motor skill; developmental science; primatology
Prof. Dr. Julie Campbell

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Arts & Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA
Interests: hemispheric specialization; handedness; infant motor development; family dynamics; cognitive development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Symmetry and asymmetry in morphology, brain, behavior, and their organization have been topics of interest in the conceptualization and study of human mature for millennia.  Currently, the development of hemispheric specialization, laterality, and handedness are vibrant topics in the literature. Our view is that only with intense and accurate study of the origins of these asymmetries will better understanding be achieved. For us, origins refers to the earliest developmental manifestations of asymmetry in brain and  behaviour, even foetally and into the first few years of life. The research should span the development of manual skills and preferences that are consistently lateralized, and the dynamic connection between different lateralized behaviours and their side of activity. It should show the relationship to underlying hemispheric specialization differences, and their connections. It should examine homologous brain and behavior in non-human primates that speak to their evolutionary origins. It should examine the host of influences on the laterality and lateralization, including genetically and environmentally. The research needs to be integrated in primary sources, such as in dedicated academic journal issues and books. However, there is no integrating special issue or book on the topic. Symmetry is hosting a special issue on Early Laterality in Behaviour and Brain. The topic covers Early Manual and Hemispheric Specialization and The Development of Lateralization and Laterality in Humans and in Non-Human Primates. We seek contributions that are both behavioural and brain-based, for example, on the development of early handedness and the development of early hemispheric specialization. The evidence is now clear that early models of infant left handedness and equipotentiality of the hemispheres are incorrect. Refined behavioural and central observations confirm the robust, dynamic interface between lateralization in brain, behaviour, and their consequences, e.g., in language and cognition. That said, there are still open questions conceptually, methodologically, and empirically. This collection of papers will present revolutionary developments in the field. Moreover, it will promote dialogue and interaction about the behavioural and central sides of the question, leading to better understanding and research on the question.

Prof. Dr. Gerald Young
Prof. Dr. Eliza Nelson
Prof. Dr. Julie Campbell
Guest Editors

Keywords

  • laterality
  • lateralization
  • development
  • hemispheric specialization
  • handedness
  • manual specialization
  • asymmetry
  • language
  • cognition
  • evolution
  • genetics

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3898 KiB  
Article
Hand-Use Preferences for Reaching and Object Exploration in Children with Impaired Upper Extremity Functioning: The Role of Environmental Affordances
by Iryna Babik and Michele A. Lobo
Symmetry 2023, 15(12), 2161; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15122161 - 5 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1038
Abstract
Infants and young children with weakened or impaired upper extremity functioning often develop a strong hand-use “preference” for reaching and object manipulation. While “preferring” their stronger hand, they often partially or completely ignore their “non-preferred” hand. Such manual lateralization might impede complex object [...] Read more.
Infants and young children with weakened or impaired upper extremity functioning often develop a strong hand-use “preference” for reaching and object manipulation. While “preferring” their stronger hand, they often partially or completely ignore their “non-preferred” hand. Such manual lateralization might impede complex object exploration, which would negatively affect children’s cognitive development. The question is whether environmental affordances would significantly affect children’s manifested hand-use “preferences” by promoting the use of the “non-preferred” hand. The current sample included 17 children (5 males; 13.9 ± 8.7 months at baseline) with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (arthrogryposis). The reaching and object exploration of the children were evaluated longitudinally across a 6-month period with and without the Playskin LiftTM exoskeletal garment (Playskin). Results showed that the use of the Playskin increased both unimanual and bimanual object contact. Also, when anti-gravity support was provided to the arms by the Playskin, children significantly increased the use of their non-preferred hand, which correlated with improved quality of object play—more bimanual object interaction and greater intensity, variability, and complexity of exploration. These findings suggest that hand-use “preference” in children with arthrogryposis is quite malleable during early development. It is likely that children with impaired upper extremity functioning do not “prefer” to use a particular hand but, rather, cannot afford using both hands due to their limited muscular or manual abilities. Importantly, environmental affordances (i.e., anti-gravity support for the arms) might significantly affect the early development of manual lateralization, with potential implications for children’s quality of object exploration and future cognitive development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Laterality in Behaviour and Brain)
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18 pages, 2587 KiB  
Article
Brain Lateralization for Language, Vocabulary Development and Handedness at 18 Months
by Delphine Potdevin, Parvaneh Adibpour, Clémentine Garric, Eszter Somogyi, Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz, Pia Rämä, Jessica Dubois and Jacqueline Fagard
Symmetry 2023, 15(5), 989; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15050989 - 27 Apr 2023
Viewed by 2724
Abstract
Is hemisphere lateralization for speech processing linked to handedness? To answer this question, we compared hemisphere lateralization for speech processing and handedness in 18-month-old infants, the age at which infants start to produce words and reach a stable pattern of handedness. To assess [...] Read more.
Is hemisphere lateralization for speech processing linked to handedness? To answer this question, we compared hemisphere lateralization for speech processing and handedness in 18-month-old infants, the age at which infants start to produce words and reach a stable pattern of handedness. To assess hemisphere lateralization for speech perception, we coupled event-related potential (ERP) recordings with a syllable-discrimination paradigm and measured response differences to a change in phoneme or voice (different speaker) in the left and right clusters of electrodes. To assess handedness, we gave a 15-item grasping test to infants. We also evaluated infants’ range of vocabulary to assess whether it was associated with direction and degree of handedness and language brain asymmetries. Brain signals in response to a change in phoneme and voice were left- and right-lateralized, respectively, indicating functional brain lateralization for speech processing in infants. Handedness and brain asymmetry for speech processing were not related. In addition, there were no interactions between the range of vocabulary and asymmetry in brain responses, even for a phoneme change. Together, a high degree of right-handedness and greater vocabulary range were associated with an increase in ERP amplitudes in voice condition, irrespective of hemisphere side, suggesting that they influence discrimination during voice processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Laterality in Behaviour and Brain)
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Review

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22 pages, 1234 KiB  
Review
Systematic Review: The Development of Behavioral Laterality Across the First Year of Life in Nonhuman Primates
by Eliza L. Nelson and Atefeh Karimi
Symmetry 2023, 15(7), 1335; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15071335 - 30 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1501
Abstract
Unlike in human research, infants are poorly represented in the literature on nonhuman primate laterality. Studies have traditionally measured adults, a trend captured by prior reviews. The extent of the knowledge gaps related to laterality measured early in the lifespan is unknown. As [...] Read more.
Unlike in human research, infants are poorly represented in the literature on nonhuman primate laterality. Studies have traditionally measured adults, a trend captured by prior reviews. The extent of the knowledge gaps related to laterality measured early in the lifespan is unknown. As a starting point, this systematic review examined the evidence on behavioral laterality across the first year of life in nonhuman primates using the PRISMA guidelines. The inclusion criteria were at least one measure of behavioral laterality in at least one subject < 1 year old. Database searches were conducted in PsycINFO, PubMed, and OVID Medline using the filterNHP search builder tool, and additional records were identified through citation searching. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts and full texts; 47 articles were retained (0 prosimian, 6 platyrrhine, 27 catarrhine, and 14 ape studies). Macaca and Pan were overrepresented. Nipple preference was the most-studied behavior, followed by hand preference. Modifying how data are collected and analyzed will increase developmental rigor in primate studies. To facilitate comparisons with the human infant literature, we suggest measuring a behavior more than once to test for change or continuity in preference over time and measuring different behaviors at different timepoints to test for potential developmental cascades. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Laterality in Behaviour and Brain)
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12 pages, 1178 KiB  
Review
Development of Hand and Paw Preferences and Their Association with Other Patterns of Behaviour and Cognition
by Lesley J. Rogers
Symmetry 2023, 15(4), 926; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15040926 - 16 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1404
Abstract
Hand preference in non-human primates has been studied extensively with the aim of understanding the evolution of hemispheric asymmetry and hand preferences in humans. However, the focus has been on hand preferences expressed in adulthood, with a surprising lack of studies on hand [...] Read more.
Hand preference in non-human primates has been studied extensively with the aim of understanding the evolution of hemispheric asymmetry and hand preferences in humans. However, the focus has been on hand preferences expressed in adulthood, with a surprising lack of studies on hand preferences in infants and changes that occur during the development of other, potentially associated, asymmetries in the brain and behaviour. This paper reports on the development of hand preference for grasping food and taking it to the mouth in common marmosets. It considers the development of other types of behaviour, such as head cocking and anogenital licking, that parallel and might influence the development of hand preferences during the first months of life. It then discusses behavioural differences between left- and right-handed adult marmosets, including response to novel stimuli, social behaviour and cognitive bias. The need to study the development of hand preferences together with the development of these other expressions of cognitive function is highlighted. The question to be addressed by empirical studies is whether hand preference is a downstream manifestation of the development of hemispheric differences in sensory processing and cognition, or whether it is instrumental in the development of functional differences between the hemispheres. Comparison is made to paw preference and associated behaviour in non-primate species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Laterality in Behaviour and Brain)
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24 pages, 465 KiB  
Review
Activation-Inhibition Coordination in Neuron, Brain, and Behavior Sequencing/Organization: Implications for Laterality and Lateralization
by Gerald Young
Symmetry 2022, 14(10), 2051; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14102051 - 1 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2052
Abstract
Activation-inhibition coordination is considered a dynamic process that functions as a common mechanism in the synchronization and functioning of neurons, brain, behavior, and their sequencing/organization, including over these different scales. The concept has broad applicability, for example, in applications to maladaptivity/atypicality. Young developed [...] Read more.
Activation-inhibition coordination is considered a dynamic process that functions as a common mechanism in the synchronization and functioning of neurons, brain, behavior, and their sequencing/organization, including over these different scales. The concept has broad applicability, for example, in applications to maladaptivity/atypicality. Young developed the hypothesis to help explain the efficacy of right-hand reaching to grasp in 1-month-olds, a study that implicated that the left hemisphere is specialized for activation-inhibition coordination. This underlying left-hemisphere function, noted to characterize the left hemisphere right from birth, can explain equally its language and fine motor skills, for example. The right hemisphere appears specialized for less complex inhibitory skills, such as outright damping/inhibition. The hypotheses related to inhibition and hemispheric specialization that appear in the literature typically refer to right hemisphere skills in these regards. The research to present also refers to excitation/inhibition balance/ratio in synaptic function, but not to coordination in the sense described here. Furthermore, it refers to the inhibitory function widely in neuronal networks. The paper presents a comprehensive literature review, framing the research in terms of the proposed concept. Further, the paper presents a broad model of activation-inhibition coordination that can help better understand neuron, brain, and behavior, generally, and left hemisphere specialization, specifically. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Laterality in Behaviour and Brain)
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