Hemispheric Specialisation in Animals and Humans

Functional cerebral specialization is a phenomenon of considerable relevance not only to those investigating normal brain function, but also to scientists who study and treat clinical populations. This special issue of Laterality brings together contributions both from researchers studying human populations and those using animal models, and includes a discussion of the current important issues in the field of lateralization of function. The papers address the origins of laterality, and the nature of lateralized functions in various species as well as relations among the different forms of lateralization. Included are such topics as lateralized memory processes, early experiential effects on laterality, the genetic basis of handedness, perceptual processing in the haptic or visual domain, and learning. Comparisons between human and nonhuman primate findings and implications of these findings for our understanding of the phylogenetic basis of hemispheric specialization are also emphasized. The papersare based on presentations at two symposia that took place in August, 1996: "Issues in Laterality", held at the International Congress of Psychology in Montreal, and "Laterality and Hemispheric Specialization in Primates: Brain Behavior and Evolution", held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, at the joint meetings of the "XVI Congress of the International Primatological Society" and the "XIX Conference of the American Society of Primatologists".