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Malatesta G, Marzoli D, Lucafò C, D'Anselmo A, Azzilonna T, Prete G, Tommasi L. Functional lateralization in social-emotional processing: The influence of sexual orientation and gender identity on cradling preferences. Early Hum Dev 2024; 194:106049. [PMID: 38781713 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2024.106049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The left-cradling bias (i.e., the motor asymmetry for cradling infants on the left side) has often been associated to the right-hemispheric social-emotional specialization, and it has often been reported to be stronger in females than in males. In this study we explored the effects of sexual orientation and gender identity on this lateral bias by means of a web-based investigation in a sample of adults (485 biological females and 196 biological males) recruited through LGBTQIA+ networks and general university forums. We exploited a cradling imagery task to assess participants' cradling-side preference, and standardized questionnaires to assess participants' homosexuality (Klein Sexual Orientation Grid) and gender nonconformity (Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire for Adults and Adolescents). Results confirmed the expected left-cradling bias across all sexual orientation groups except for heterosexual males. Importantly, higher homosexuality scores were associated with higher proportions of left cradling in males. These results suggest that sexual orientation can influence cradling preference in males, indicating a complex interaction between biological and psychological factors in the laterality of social-emotional processing. Finally, the left-cradling bias seems to confirm its role as a behavioral proxy of social-emotional functional lateralization in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Malatesta
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, I-66100 Chieti, Italy.
| | - Daniele Marzoli
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, I-66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Chiara Lucafò
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, I-66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Anita D'Anselmo
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, I-66100 Chieti, Italy; Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, I-66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Teresiana Azzilonna
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, I-66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Giulia Prete
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, I-66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Luca Tommasi
- Department of Psychological, Health, and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, I-66100 Chieti, Italy
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2
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Tarsha MS, Narvaez D. Humanity's evolved nest and its relation to cardiac vagal regulation in the first years of life. Early Hum Dev 2024; 193:106033. [PMID: 38744000 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2024.106033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Evolved Developmental Niche (EDN) is a millions-year-old developmental system that matches the maturational schedule of the offspring, optimizing health. Every animal has a developmental niche. AIMS Humanity has fallen away from providing its EDN. Does it matter? STUDY DESIGN Several components of humanity's EDN were reviewed (breastfeeding, positive touch, allomothers, responsive care, free play) in relation to cardiac vagal nerve regulation, a signal of healthy development. Focal subjects were young children. OUTCOME MEASURES A review of research on the selected EDN components in relation to vagal nerve function was performed. Data were available for all but the allomother component, which is typically not measured by western researchers, although allomothers provide EDN components alongside parents. RESULTS Apart from the lack of research on allomother effects, all these EDN components have been shown to influence cardiac vagal regulation in young children. CONCLUSIONS Converging evidence suggests that providing the EDN in early life may not only support aspects of a child's primal health system, but bolster capacities for social health and wellness, the cornerstone of a positive life trajectory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary S Tarsha
- Department of Psychology and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Research, University of Notre Dame, United States of America
| | - Darcia Narvaez
- Department of Psychology and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Research, University of Notre Dame, United States of America.
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3
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Packheiser J, Sommer L, Wüllner M, Malek IM, Reichart JS, Katona L, Luhmann M, Ocklenburg S. A Comparison of Hugging Frequency and Its Association with Momentary Mood Before and During COVID-19 Using Ecological Momentary Assessment. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2024; 39:951-959. [PMID: 37041685 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2023.2198058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a drastic decrease in human social interactions including social touch. One of the most prevalent forms of touch is hugging. Hugging has been demonstrated to benefit both physical and mental well-being. In the present study, we used an ecological momentary assessment approach to assess the relationship between hugging and momentary mood in two independent cohorts sampled prior or during the pandemic. We found that the frequency of hugging was significantly reduced during the pandemic. Using multilevel modeling, we found a significant positive association between momentary mood and daily hugs. This effect was moderated by the cohort, as individuals during the pandemic showed a stronger positive association compared to the cohort sampled prior to the pandemic. While we have to stress that our results are correlational in nature, they potentially indicate that social touch is more beneficial in times of social distancing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leslie Sommer
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
| | - Maren Wüllner
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
| | - Imke Marlene Malek
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
| | | | - Laura Katona
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
| | | | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Medical School Hamburg
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg
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4
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van der Meer ALH. Handedness as a major determinant of lateral bias in human functional cradling. INFANCY 2024; 29:84-94. [PMID: 38100601 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Studies examining infant cradling have almost uniformly concluded with a general human left-side bias for cradling, indicating that people prefer to hold an infant to the left of their body. Explanations for the notion of the left-side cradling bias have traditionally been searched for in a variety of factors, for example, in terms of maternal heartbeat, genetic factors, in the form of an ear asymmetry where auditory information is perceived faster through the left ear, as a result of a right hemispheric functional specialization for perception of emotions and faces, and in identifying a motor bias of the infant, such as the tendency of newborn infants to lie with the face to the right when placed supine. Interestingly, handedness is generally considered an inadequate explanation for the lateralized cradling bias, despite it being an intuitively plausible one. In this brief review, I put forward the cradler's handedness as the most convincing and elegant determinant of the cradling bias. This explanation is consistent with a developmental cascades' framework where the cradling bias can be understood as the result of a multitude of factors across a range of levels and systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey L H van der Meer
- Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
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5
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Malatesta G, Marzoli D, Tommasi L. Environmental and genetic determinants of sensorimotor asymmetries in mother-infant interaction. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:1080141. [PMID: 36545121 PMCID: PMC9760707 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1080141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
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6
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Pfeifer LS, Heyers K, Berretz G, Metzen D, Packheiser J, Ocklenburg S. Broadening the scope: Increasing phenotype diversity in laterality research. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:1048388. [PMID: 36386787 PMCID: PMC9650052 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1048388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lena Sophie Pfeifer
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Katrin Heyers
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, Institute of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Gesa Berretz
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dorothea Metzen
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Julian Packheiser
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Department of Biopsychology, Faculty for Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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7
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Davis R, Donati G, Finnegan K, Boardman JP, Dean B, Fletcher‐Watson S, Forrester GS. Social gaze in preterm infants may act as an early indicator of atypical lateralization. Child Dev 2022; 93:869-880. [PMID: 35112717 PMCID: PMC9545542 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Visual field biases have been identified as markers of atypical lateralization in children with developmental conditions, but this is the first investigation to consider early lateralized gaze behaviors for social stimuli in preterm infants. Eye-tracking methods with 51 preterm (33 male, 92.1% White) and 61 term-born (31 male, 90.1% White) infants aged 8-10 months from Edinburgh, UK, captured the development of visual field biases, comparing gaze behavior to social and non-social stimuli on the left versus right of the screen. Preterm infants showed a significantly reduced interest to social stimuli on the left versus right compared to term children (d = .58). Preterm children exhibit early differential orienting preferences that may be an early indicator of atypical lateralized function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Davis
- Salvesen Mindroom Research CentreUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Georgina Donati
- Department of Psychological SciencesBirkbeck, University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Kier Finnegan
- Department of ImmunobiologyUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child HealthLondonUK
| | - James P. Boardman
- MRC Centre for Reproductive HealthUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
- Centre for Clinical Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Bethan Dean
- MRC Centre for Reproductive HealthUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
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Abstract
Although the population-level preference for the use of the right hand is the clearest example of behavioral lateralization, it represents only the best-known instance of a variety of functional asymmetries observable in humans. What is interesting is that many of such asymmetries emerge during the processing of social stimuli, as often occurs in the case of human bodies, faces and voices. In the present paper, after reviewing previous literature about human functional asymmetries for social and emotional stimuli, we suggest some possible links among them and stress the necessity of a comprehensive account (in both ontogenetic and phylogenetic terms) for these not yet fully explained phenomena. In particular, we propose that the advantages of lateralization for emotion processing should be considered in light of previous suggestions that (i) functional hemispheric specialization enhances cognitive capacity and efficiency, and (ii) the alignment (at the population level) of the direction of behavioral asymmetries emerges, under social pressures, as an evolutionary stable strategy.
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9
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Muratori F, Apicella F. Being Born Autistic and the Forming of the Interpersonal World. PSYCHOANALYTIC INQUIRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/07351690.2022.2007019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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10
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Limb Preference in Animals: New Insights into the Evolution of Manual Laterality in Hominids. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14010096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Until the 1990s, the notion of brain lateralization—the division of labor between the two hemispheres—and its more visible behavioral manifestation, handedness, remained fiercely defined as a human specific trait. Since then, many studies have evidenced lateralized functions in a wide range of species, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In this review, we highlight the great contribution of comparative research to the understanding of human handedness’ evolutionary and developmental pathways, by distinguishing animal forelimb asymmetries for functionally different actions—i.e., potentially depending on different hemispheric specializations. Firstly, lateralization for the manipulation of inanimate objects has been associated with genetic and ontogenetic factors, with specific brain regions’ activity, and with morphological limb specializations. These could have emerged under selective pressures notably related to the animal locomotion and social styles. Secondly, lateralization for actions directed to living targets (to self or conspecifics) seems to be in relationship with the brain lateralization for emotion processing. Thirdly, findings on primates’ hand preferences for communicative gestures accounts for a link between gestural laterality and a left-hemispheric specialization for intentional communication and language. Throughout this review, we highlight the value of functional neuroimaging and developmental approaches to shed light on the mechanisms underlying human handedness.
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11
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Mundorf A, Peterburs J, Ocklenburg S. Asymmetry in the Central Nervous System: A Clinical Neuroscience Perspective. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:733898. [PMID: 34970125 PMCID: PMC8712556 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.733898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent large-scale neuroimaging studies suggest that most parts of the human brain show structural differences between the left and the right hemisphere. Such structural hemispheric asymmetries have been reported for both cortical and subcortical structures. Interestingly, many neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders have been associated with altered functional hemispheric asymmetries. However, findings concerning the relation between structural hemispheric asymmetries and disorders have largely been inconsistent, both within specific disorders as well as between disorders. In the present review, we compare structural asymmetries from a clinical neuroscience perspective across different disorders. We focus especially on recent large-scale neuroimaging studies, to concentrate on replicable effects. With the notable exception of major depressive disorder, all reviewed disorders were associated with distinct patterns of alterations in structural hemispheric asymmetries. While autism spectrum disorder was associated with altered structural hemispheric asymmetries in a broader range of brain areas, most other disorders were linked to more specific alterations in brain areas related to cognitive functions that have been associated with the symptomology of these disorders. The implications of these findings are highlighted in the context of transdiagnostic approaches to psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annakarina Mundorf
- Institute for Systems Medicine and Department of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Peterburs
- Institute for Systems Medicine and Department of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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12
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Abstract
While the desire to uncover the neural correlates of consciousness has taken numerous directions, self-face recognition has been a constant in attempts to isolate aspects of self-awareness. The neuroimaging revolution of the 1990s brought about systematic attempts to isolate the underlying neural basis of self-face recognition. These studies, including some of the first fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) examinations, revealed a right-hemisphere bias for self-face recognition in a diverse set of regions including the insula, the dorsal frontal lobe, the temporal parietal junction, and the medial temporal cortex. In this systematic review, we provide confirmation of these data (which are correlational) which were provided by TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and patients in which direct inhibition or ablation of right-hemisphere regions leads to a disruption or absence of self-face recognition. These data are consistent with a number of theories including a right-hemisphere dominance for self-awareness and/or a right-hemisphere specialization for identifying significant social relationships, including to oneself.
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13
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Malatesta G, Marzoli D, Prete G, Tommasi L. Human Lateralization, Maternal Effects and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:668520. [PMID: 33828467 PMCID: PMC8019713 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.668520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, behavioral laterality and hemispheric asymmetries are part of a complex biobehavioral system in which genetic factors have been repeatedly proposed as developmental determinants of both phenomena. However, no model solely based on genetic factors has proven conclusive, pushing towards the inclusion of environmental and epigenetic factors into the system. Moreover, it should be pointed out that epigenetic modulation might also account for why certain genes are expressed differently in parents and offspring. Here, we suggest the existence of a sensitive period in early postnatal development, during which the exposure to postural and motor lateral biases, expressed in interactive sensorimotor coordination with the caregiver, canalizes hemispheric lateralization in the “typical” direction. Despite newborns and infants showing their own inherent asymmetries, the canalizing effect of the interactive context owes most to adult caregivers (usually the mother), whose infant-directed lateralized behavior might have been specifically selected for as a population-level trait, functional to confer fitness to offspring. In particular, the case of the left-cradling bias (LCB; i.e., the population-level predisposition of mothers to hold their infants on the left side) represents an instance of behavioral trait exhibiting heritability along the maternal line, although no genetic investigation has been carried out so far. Recent evidence, moreover, seems to suggest that the reduction of this asymmetry is related to several unfavorable conditions, including neurodevelopmental disorders. Future studies are warranted to understand whether and how genetic and epigenetic factors affect the lateralization of early mother-infant interaction and the proneness of the offspring to neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Malatesta
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti and Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Daniele Marzoli
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti and Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Giulia Prete
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti and Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Luca Tommasi
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti and Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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14
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Malatesta G, Marzoli D, Morelli L, Pivetti M, Tommasi L. The Role of Ethnic Prejudice in the Modulation of Cradling Lateralization. JOURNAL OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR 2020; 45:187-205. [PMID: 33132473 PMCID: PMC7590564 DOI: 10.1007/s10919-020-00346-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The left-cradling bias is the tendency to cradle an infant on the left side, regardless of the individuals' handedness, culture or ethnicity. Many studies revealed associations between socio-emotional variables and the left-side bias, suggesting that this asymmetry might be considered as a proxy of the emotional attunement between the cradling and the cradled individuals. In this study we examined whether adult females with high levels of prejudice toward a specific ethnic group would show reduced left-cradling preferences when required to cradle an infant-like doll with ethnical features of the prejudiced group. We manipulated the ethnicity of the cradled individual by asking 336 Caucasian women to cradle a White or a Black doll and then assessed their prejudice levels toward African individuals. Significant correlations were shown only in the Black doll group indicating that the more the prejudice toward Africans, the more the cradling-side preferences shifted toward the right. Furthermore, participants exhibiting low levels-but not those exhibiting high levels-of ethnic prejudice showed a significant left-cradling bias. These findings show that ethnic prejudice toward the specific ethnic group of the cradled individual can interfere with the left preference in the cradling woman. The present study corroborates our suggestion that the left-cradling bias might be considered as a natural index of a positive socio-communicative relationship between the cradling and cradled individuals. On the contrary, the right-cradling bias might be considered as a cue of the presence of affective dysfunctions in the relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Malatesta
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Blocco A Psicologia, Via dei Vestini, 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Daniele Marzoli
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Blocco A Psicologia, Via dei Vestini, 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Luca Morelli
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Blocco A Psicologia, Via dei Vestini, 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Monica Pivetti
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Blocco A Psicologia, Via dei Vestini, 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Luca Tommasi
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Blocco A Psicologia, Via dei Vestini, 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy
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15
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Evolutionary motor biases and cognition in children with and without autism. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17385. [PMID: 33060674 PMCID: PMC7566622 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74224-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolution has endowed vertebrates with a divided brain that allows for processing of critical survival behaviours in parallel. Most humans possess a standard functional brain organisation for these ancient sensory-motor behaviours, favouring the right hemisphere for fight-or-flight processes and the left hemisphere for performing structured motor sequences. However, a significant minority of the population possess an organisational phenotype that represents crowding of function in one hemisphere, or a reversal of the standard functional organisation. Using behavioural biases as a proxy for brain organisation, results indicate that reversed brain organisation phenotype increases in populations with autism and is associated with weaker cognitive abilities. Moreover, this study revealed that left-handedness, alone, is not associated with decreased cognitive ability or autism. Rather, left-handedness acts as a marker for decreased cognitive performance when paired with the reversed brain phenotype. The results contribute to comparative research suggesting that modern human abilities are supported by evolutionarily old, lateralised sensory-motor processes. Systematic, longitudinal investigations, capturing genetic measures and brain correlates, are essential to reveal how cognition emerges from these foundational processes. Importantly, strength and direction of biases can act as early markers of brain organisation and cognitive development, leading to promising, novel practices for diagnoses and interventions.
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Bondi D, Prete G, Malatesta G, Robazza C. Laterality in Children: Evidence for Task-Dependent Lateralization of Motor Functions. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17186705. [PMID: 32942557 PMCID: PMC7558377 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The behavioral preference for the use of one side of the body starts from pre-natal life and prompt humans to develop motor asymmetries. The type of motor task completed influences those functional asymmetries. However, there is no real consensus on the occurrence of handedness during developmental ages. Therefore, we aimed to determine which motor asymmetries emerged differently during childhood. A total sample of 381 children in grades 1 to 5 (6-11 years old) of primary school were recruited and tested for two fine coordination tasks (Floppy, led by dexterity, and Thumb, led by speed-dominated skills) and handgrip strength (HS). Data about their handedness, footedness and sports participation were also collected. Children performed better with their dominant side, especially for the Floppy and HS tests. The asymmetries were more marked in right-handed children and did not differ by age, gender or type of sport. Our findings support the thesis of a functional lateralization in complex coordinative tasks and in maximal strength during developmental ages. Furthermore, our findings extend the evidence of a stronger lateralization in right-handed individuals, demonstrating it at a functional level in primary school children performing motor tasks. Fine motor skills allow a "fine" understanding of developmental trajectories of lateralized behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Bondi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Giulia Prete
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (G.P.); (G.M.)
| | - Gianluca Malatesta
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (G.P.); (G.M.)
| | - Claudio Robazza
- Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy;
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Human-like maternal left-cradling bias in monkeys is altered by social pressure. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11036. [PMID: 32620801 PMCID: PMC7335100 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68020-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
About 66–72% of human mothers cradle their infants on their left side. Given that left-cradling exposes the baby’s face to the mother’s left visual field (i.e., mainly projected to her right hemisphere) and is altered by emotional states such as stress, maternal left-cradling was interpreted as reflecting right-hemispheric dominance for emotional processing. Whether this phenomenon is unique to human evolution is still in debate. In the present study we followed 44 olive baboon (Papio anubis) mothers and their infants in different social groups. We found that a maternal cradling bias exists and is predominantly towards the left in a similar proportion as in humans, but shifts toward a right bias in mothers living in high density groups. The sensitivity of left-cradling to social pressure highlights its potential links with the mother’s stress as reported in humans. Our finding clearly illustrates the phylogenetic continuity between humans and Old-World monkeys concerning this lateralization and its potential links with hemispheric specialization for emotions, inherited from a common ancestor 25–35 million years ago.
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Keep a Left Profile, Baby! The Left-Cradling Bias Is Associated with a Preference for Left-Facing Profiles of Human Babies. Symmetry (Basel) 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sym12060911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The left-cradling bias (LCB) refers to the (typically female) preference to hold an infant on the left side of one’s own body. Among the three main accounts proposed for such a phenomenon, namely the “handedness”, “heartbeat” and “hemispheric asymmetry” hypotheses, the latter has met with the greatest empirical success. Accordingly, the LCB would facilitate the communication of socio-emotional information through the right hemisphere of both the cradled and the cradling individual, and should emerge mainly in face-to-face interactions. In this regard, it should be noticed that when the infant’s body is oriented toward the cradler, the left or right side of their face is relatively more visible to left- and right-cradlers, respectively. Therefore, we hypothesized that the LCB might also be associated with a preference for left-facing profiles (i.e., those showing the left, and more expressive, hemiface/cheek) of human babies. In order to test our hypothesis, we assessed the cradling-side preferences of female participants, as well as their preference for the left- or right-facing profile of a human infant depicted in a drawing. Left-cradlers exhibited a significantly larger preference for the left-facing version of the drawing compared with right-cradlers, a finding further corroborating the right-hemisphere hypothesis.
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