scholarly journals Lateralization in monogamous pairs: wild geese prefer to keep their partner in the left hemifield except when disturbed

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmira Zaynagutdinova ◽  
Karina Karenina ◽  
Andrey Giljov

Abstract Behavioural lateralization, which reflects the functional specializations of the two brain hemispheres, is assumed to play an important role in cooperative intraspecific interactions. However, there are few studies focused on the lateralization in cooperative behaviours of individuals, especially in a natural setting. In the present study, we investigated lateralized spatial interactions between the partners in life-long monogamous pairs. The male-female pairs of two geese species (barnacle, Branta leucopsis, and white-fronted, Anser albifrons geese), were observed during different stages of the annual cycle in a variety of conditions. In geese flocks, we recorded which visual hemifield (left/right) the following partner used to monitor the leading partner relevant to the type of behaviour and the disturbance factors. In a significant majority of pairs, the following bird viewed the leading partner with the left eye during routine behaviours such as resting and feeding in undisturbed conditions. This behavioural lateralization, implicating the right hemisphere processing, was consistent across the different aggregation sites and years of the study. In contrast, no significant bias was found in a variety of geese behaviours associated with enhanced disturbance (when alert on water, flying or fleeing away when disturbed, feeding during the hunting period, in urban area feeding and during moulting). We hypothesize that the increased demands for right hemisphere processing to deal with stressful and emergency situations may interfere with the manifestation of lateralization in social interactions.

Author(s):  
Gregor Volberg

Previous studies often revealed a right-hemisphere specialization for processing the global level of compound visual stimuli. Here we explore whether a similar specialization exists for the detection of intersected contours defined by a chain of local elements. Subjects were presented with arrays of randomly oriented Gabor patches that could contain a global path of collinearly arranged elements in the left or in the right visual hemifield. As expected, the detection accuracy was higher for contours presented to the left visual field/right hemisphere. This difference was absent in two control conditions where the smoothness of the contour was decreased. The results demonstrate that the contour detection, often considered to be driven by lateral coactivation in primary visual cortex, relies on higher-level visual representations that differ between the hemispheres. Furthermore, because contour and non-contour stimuli had the same spatial frequency spectra, the results challenge the view that the right-hemisphere advantage in global processing depends on a specialization for processing low spatial frequencies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Mauler ◽  
Irene Neuner ◽  
Georg Neuloh ◽  
Bruno Fimm ◽  
Frank Boers ◽  
...  

In the past, the eloquent areas could be deliberately localised by the invasive Wada test. The very rare cases of dissociated crossed speech areas were accidentally found based on the clinical symptomatology. Today functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based imaging can be employed to non-invasively localise the eloquent areas in brain tumour patients for therapy planning. A 41-year-old, left-handed man with a low-grade glioma in the left frontal operculum extending to the insular cortex, tension headaches, and anomic aphasia over 5 months underwent a pre-operative speech area localisation fMRI measurement, which revealed the evidence of the transhemispheric disposition, where the dominant Wernicke speech area is located on the left and the Broca’s area is strongly lateralised to the right hemisphere. The outcome of the Wada test and the intraoperative cortico-subcortical stimulation mapping were congruent with this finding. After tumour removal, language area function was fully preserved. Upon the occurrence of brain tumours with a risk of impaired speech function, the rare dissociate crossed speech areas disposition may gain a clinically relevant meaning by allowing for more extended tumour removal. Hence, for its identification, diagnostics which take into account both brain hemispheres, such as fMRI, are recommended.


1978 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-32
Author(s):  
Grayson H. Wheatley ◽  
Robert Mitchell ◽  
Robert L. Frankland ◽  
Rosemarie Kraft

Evidence is presented for hemisphere specialization of the two brain hemispheres: the left hemisphere specialized for logico-analytic tasks and the right hemisphere, visuo-spatial tasks. A hypothesis is put forth for the emergence of the specialization that suggests a shift from predominant right hemisphere processing in infancy to predominant left hemisphere processing in adulthood. Results of the studies reviewed suggest the emergence of concrete-operational thought as the left hemisphere becomes capable of processing logical tasks. Electroencephalography seems particularly useful in determining specialization and mapping changes in hemispheric asymmetry. Implications for school mathematics curriculum are presented.


Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2106
Author(s):  
Yair Pinto ◽  
Edward H.F. de Haan ◽  
Maria-Chiara Villa ◽  
Sabrina Siliquini ◽  
Gabriele Polonara ◽  
...  

One of the most fundamental, and most studied, human cognitive functions is working memory. Yet, it is currently unknown how working memory is unified. In other words, why does a healthy human brain have one integrated capacity of working memory, rather than one capacity per visual hemifield, for instance. Thus, healthy subjects can memorize roughly as many items, regardless of whether all items are presented in one hemifield, rather than throughout two visual hemifields. In this current research, we investigated two patients in whom either most, or the entire, corpus callosum has been cut to alleviate otherwise untreatable epilepsy. Crucially, in both patients the anterior parts connecting the frontal and most of the parietal cortices, are entirely removed. This is essential, since it is often posited that working memory resides in these areas of the cortex. We found that despite the lack of direct connections between the frontal cortices in these patients, working memory capacity is similar regardless of whether stimuli are all presented in one visual hemifield or across two visual hemifields. This indicates that in the absence of the anterior parts of the corpus callosum working memory remains unified. Moreover, it is important to note that memory performance was not similar across visual fields. In fact, capacity was higher when items appeared in the left visual hemifield than when they appeared in the right visual hemifield. Visual information in the left hemifield is processed by the right hemisphere and vice versa. Therefore, this indicates that visual working memory is not symmetric, with the right hemisphere having a superior visual working memory. Nonetheless, a (subcortical) bottleneck apparently causes visual working memory to be integrated, such that capacity does not increase when items are presented in two, rather than one, visual hemifield.


PeerJ ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. e1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Prete ◽  
Daniele Marzoli ◽  
Luca Tommasi

Background.The ability to identify faces has been interpreted as a cerebral specialization based on the evolutionary importance of these social stimuli, and a number of studies have shown that this function is mainly lateralized in the right hemisphere. The aim of this study was to assess the right-hemispheric specialization in face recognition in unfamiliar circumstances.Methods.Using a divided visual field paradigm, we investigated hemispheric asymmetries in the matching of two subsequent faces, using two types of transformation hindering identity recognition, namely upside-down rotation and spatial “explosion” (female and male faces were fractured into parts so that their mutual spatial relations were left intact), as well as their combination.Results.We confirmed the right-hemispheric superiority in face processing. Moreover, we found a decrease of the identity recognition for more extreme “levels of explosion” and for faces presented upside-down (either as sample or target stimuli) than for faces presented upright, as well as an advantage in the matching of female compared to male faces.Discussion.We conclude that the right-hemispheric superiority for face processing is not an epiphenomenon of our expertise, because we are not often exposed to inverted and “exploded” faces, but rather a robust hemispheric lateralization. We speculate that these results could be attributable to the prevalence of right-handedness in humans and/or to early biases in social interactions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-105
Author(s):  
Inessa V. Karpova ◽  
Nikita A. Popkovsky ◽  
Sergey N. Proshin ◽  
Evgeny R. Bychkov ◽  
Ilia Y. Tissen ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: The study of the mechanisms of interaction of paired structures of the mammalian brain is a fundamental problem of modern neuroscience, which is of great applied importance. Even mild underdevelopment of the corpus callosum in humans can lead to autism. It is known that the intensity of intraspecific interactions in BALB/c mice is lower than in white outbred ones, while some BALB/c substrains are characterized by underdevelopment of the corpus callosum. AIM: To compare the morphological parameters of the large brain commissures in white outbred mice and BALB/c mice grown in the Rappolovo nursery (Leningrad region). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The morphology of the corpus callosum was studied in 13 male white outbred mice and 7 male BALB/c mice at the age of 8 months. RESULTS: In mice of both subpopulations, the area of the anterior commissure of the left hemisphere was smaller than that of the right hemisphere (p 0.05). There were no differences between subpopulations in this parameter. The area of the left section of the corpus callosum trunkus in outbred mice was larger than the right one (p 0.001), while in BALB/c mice the areas of the left and right slices did not differ. Despite the absence of significant differences in the area of the anterior part (rostrum et genu) of the corpus callosum the density of the location of oligodendrocytes in this brain structure in the mice of the two subpopulations was different. The number of oligodendrocytes in 0.01 mm2 on the left section of the anterior part of the corpus callosum in BALB/c mice was greater than in white outbred mice (p 0.05). A similar trend was revealed when comparing slices of the right hemisphere (p = 0.065). CONCLUSIONS: The large area of the right parasagittal slice of the anterior commissure suggests that some of its constituent fibers do not cross the midline, but end within the same hemisphere, which may be the morphological basis for the functional dominance of the temporal cortex of the left hemisphere in mice of both subpopulations. The corpus callosum in BALB/c mice is developed symmetrically, and in white outbred ones asymmetrically. This feature may be the morphological basis for the functional dominance of the parietal cortex of the right hemisphere in outbred animals.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Strother ◽  
Alexandra M. Coros ◽  
Tutis Vilis

Reading requires the neural integration of visual word form information that is split between our retinal hemifields. We examined multiple visual cortical areas involved in this process by measuring fMRI responses while observers viewed words that changed or repeated in one or both hemifields. We were specifically interested in identifying brain areas that exhibit decreased fMRI responses as a result of repeated versus changing visual word form information in each visual hemifield. Our method yielded highly significant effects of word repetition in a previously reported visual word form area (VWFA) in occipitotemporal cortex, which represents hemifield-split words as whole units. We also identified a more posterior occipital word form area (OWFA), which represents word form information in the right and left hemifields independently and is thus both functionally and anatomically distinct from the VWFA. Both the VWFA and the OWFA were left-lateralized in our study and strikingly symmetric in anatomical location relative to known face-selective visual cortical areas in the right hemisphere. Our findings are consistent with the observation that category-selective visual areas come in pairs and support the view that neural mechanisms in left visual cortex—especially those that evolved to support the visual processing of faces—are developmentally malleable and become incorporated into a left-lateralized visual word form network that supports rapid word recognition and reading.


2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei G. Tsikunov ◽  
Svetlana G. Belokoskova

Speech is an attribute of the human species. Central speech disorders following stroke are unique models for the investigation of the organization of speech. Achievements in neurobiology suggest that there are possible neuroendocrine mechanisms involved in the organization of speech. It is known that the neuropeptide vasotocin, analogous of vasopressin in mammals, modulates various components of vocalization in animals. Furthermore, the positive influence of vasopressin on memory, which plays an important role in the formation of speech, has been described. In this study, speech organization processes and their recovery with the administration of vasopressin (1-desamino-8-D-arginin-vasopressin) to 26 patients with chronic aphasias after stroke were investigated. Results showed that sub-endocrine doses of the neuropeptide with intranasal administration had positive influence primarily on simple forms of speech and secondarily on composite forms. There were no statistically significant differences between the sensory and integrative components of the organization of speech processes with vasopressin. In all cases, the positive effect of the neuropeptide was demonstrated. As a result of the effects, speech regulated by both brain hemispheres improved. It is suggested that the neuropeptide optimizes the activity both in the left and right hemispheres, with primary influence on the right hemisphere. The persistence of the acquired effects is explained by an induction of compensatory processes resulting in the reorganization of the intra-central connections by vasopressin.


Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Griffiths ◽  
Richard Holland ◽  
Anna Gagliardo

Functional lateralisation in the avian visual system can be easily studied by testing monocularly occluded birds. The sun compass is a critical source of navigational information in birds, but studies of visual asymmetry have focussed on cues in a laboratory rather than a natural setting. We investigate functional lateralisation of sun compass use in the visual system of homing pigeons trained to locate food in an outdoor octagonal arena, with a coloured beacon in each sector and a view of the sun. The arena was rotated to introduce a cue conflict, and the experimental groups, a binocular treatment and two monocular treatments, were tested for their directional choice. We found no significant difference in test orientation between the treatments, with all groups showing evidence of both sun compass and beacon use, suggesting no complete functional lateralisation of sun compass use within the visual system. However, reduced directional consistency of binocular vs. monocular birds may reveal a conflict between the two hemispheres in a cue conflict condition. Birds using the right hemisphere were more likely to choose the intermediate sector between the training sector and the shifted training beacon, suggesting a possible asymmetry in favour of the left eye/right hemisphere (LE/RH) when integrating different cues.


2000 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 659-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Persinger ◽  
S. G. Tiller ◽  
S. A. Koren

To test the hypothesis that experiences of apparitional phenomena with accompanying fear can be simulated within the laboratory, a 45-yr.-old Journalist and professional musician who had experienced a classic haunt four years previously was exposed to 1 microTesla, complex, transcerebral magnetic fields. Within 10 min. after exposure to a frequency-modulated pattern applied over the right hemisphere, the man reported “rushes of fear” that culminated in the experience of an apparition. Concurrent electroencephalographic measurements showed conspicuous 1-sec-to-2-sec. paroxysmal complex spikes (15 Hz) that accompanied the reports of fear. A second magnetic field pattern, applied bilaterally through the brain, was associated with pleasant experiences. The subject concluded that the synthetic experience of the apparition was very similar to the one experienced in the natural setting. The results of this experiment suggest that controlled simulation of these pervasive phenomena within the laboratory is possible and that this experimental protocol may help discern the physical stimuli that evoke their occurrence in nature.


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