Lateralization of brain function: Difference between revisions

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Lateralization of brain structures is based on general trends expressed in healthy patients; however, there are numerous counterexamples to each generalization. Each human's brain develops differently, leading to unique lateralization in individuals. This is different from specialization, as lateralization refers only to the function of one structure divided between two hemispheres. Specialization is much easier to observe as a trend, since it has a stronger [[Anthropology|anthropological history]].<ref name="Halpern 2005">{{cite journal | vauthors = Halpern ME, Güntürkün O, Hopkins WD, Rogers LJ | title = Lateralization of the vertebrate brain: taking the side of model systems | journal = The Journal of Neuroscience | volume = 25 | issue = 45 | pages = 10351–10357 | date = November 2005 | pmid = 16280571 | pmc = 2654579 | doi = 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3439-05.2005 }}</ref>

The best example of an established lateralization is that of [[Broca's area|Broca's]] and [[Wernicke's area]]s, where both are often found exclusively on the left hemisphere. Function lateralization, such as [[semantics]], [[intonation (linguistics)|intonation]], [[accentuation]], and [[prosody (linguistics)|prosody]], has since been called into question and largely been found to have a neuronal basis in both hemispheres.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Riès SK, Dronkers NF, Knight RT | title = Choosing words: left hemisphere, right hemisphere, or both? Perspective on the lateralization of word retrieval | journal = Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences | volume = 1369 | issue = 1 | pages = 111–131 | date = April 2016 | pmid = 26766393 | pmc = 4874870 | doi = 10.1111/nyas.12993 | bibcode = 2016NYASA1369..111R }}</ref> Another example is that each hemisphere in the brain tends to represent one side of the body. In the [[cerebellum]], this is the same body[[Ipsilateral|ipsilateral side]], but in the [[forebrain]] this is predominantly the [[Contralateral brain|contralateral side]].

== Lateralized functions==