Asymmetries of the skull and handedness: Phrenology revisited

doi:10.1016/0022-510X(77)90239-8

Journal of the Neurological Sciences

Volume 32, Issue 2, June 1977, Pages 243-253

https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-510X(77)90239-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

Some of the asymmetries noted in cerebral computerized transaxial tomography (CTT) studies are reflected in the shape of the skull resulting most often in backward protrusion of the occipital bone on the left and a less striking forward protrusion of the right frontal bone. Asymmetries are less marked in left-handed individuals but the opposite features, i.e. forward protrusion of the left frontal bone and posterior protrusion of the right occipital bone, are more frequent in left handers than in right handers.

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Citation Excerpt :
PA.98 and Ckn.L.3 PA.100; In Saccopastore 1, the frontal petalia is not as marked, and it mainly has to do with the coronal development of the right side and the longitudinal extension of the left lobe. Uomini (2011) and Frayer et al. (2012) mention the petalial pattern in a group of Neanderthals from the Holloway (1981), Holloway and de LaCoste-Lareymondie (1982), LeMay (1977) and Grimaud-Herve (1997) studies. They note that Feldhofer, La Ferrassie 1, Forbes Quarry 1, La Quina, Le Moustier 1, Saccopastore 1, Spy 1, Spy 2, Teshik-Tash 1 and Engis 2 show the typical right hand pattern, with only La Chapelle-aux-Saints possessing a right occipital/left frontal petalia that is consistent with the left-handed pattern.
This study investigates handedness in a group of individuals from the Sima de los Huesos site (Atapuerca, Spain). In this research, handedness has been studied by analyzing the brain endocast asymmetries (cerebral evidence), and the results (the assignment, of the manual preference in each individual) have been compared to previous results from the determination of handedness from labial striations on the anterior dentition in the same individuals. From the dental analysis, all individuals from SH were right-handed. After combining the results of both studies, 4 individuals could be analyzed in depth. In 3 of these individuals, the assignment of probable handedness was coincident. The results did not coincide in just 1 individual (Cranium 6). In this specimen, labial striations indicated a right oblique orientation consistent with right-handedness, but this was not consistent with our results from the endocast analysis. The existence of some pathology in the natural skilled hand, learning by imitation from right-handers, or ambidextrous handedness are some of the interpretations derived from this special case.
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We aimed to elucidate the dACC laterality in typically developing children and their sex/age-related differences with a sample of 84 right-handed children (6–16 years, 42 boys). We first replicated the previous finding observed in adults that gray matter density asymmetry in the dACC was region-specific: leftward (left > right) in its superior part, rightward (left < right) in its inferior part. Intrinsic connectivity analysis of these regions further revealed region-specific asymmetric connectivity profiles in dACC as well as their sex and age differences. Specifically, the superior dACC connectivity with frontoparietal network and the inferior dACC connectivity with visual network are rightward. The superior dACC connectivity with the default network (lateral temporal cortex) was more involved in the left hemisphere. In contrast, the inferior dACC connectivity with the default network (anterior medial prefrontal cortex) was more lateralized towards the right hemisphere. The superior dACC connectivity with lateral visual cortex was more distinct across two hemispheres in girls than that in boys. This connection in boys changed with age from right-prominent to left-prominent asymmetry whereas girls developed the connection from left-prominent to no asymmetry. These findings not only highlight the complexity and laterality of the dACC but also provided insights into dynamical structure–function relationships during the development.
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The study of anatomical brain asymmetries has been a topic of great interest in the neuroimaging community in the past decades. However, the accuracy of brain asymmetry measurements has been rarely investigated. In this study, we propose a fully automatic methodology for the quantitative validation of brain tissue asymmetries as measured by Voxel Based Morphometry (VBM) from structural magnetic resonance (MR) images. Starting from a real MR image, the methodology generates simulated 3D MR images with a known and realistic pattern of inter-hemispheric asymmetry that models the left-occipital right-frontal petalia of a normal brain and the related rightward bending of the inter-hemispheric fissure. As an example, we generated a dataset of 64 simulated MR images and applied this dataset for the quantitative validation of optimized VBM measures of asymmetries in brain tissue composition. Our results suggested that VBM analysis strongly depended on the spatial normalization of the individual brain images, the selected template space, and the amount of spatial smoothing applied. The most accurate asymmetry detections were achieved by 9-degrees of freedom registration to the symmetrical template space with 4 to 8 mm spatial smoothing.
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Citation Excerpt :
In gorillas, contradictory results can be found on the question of handedness, varying from no handedness (Harrison and Nystrom, 2010) to equal proportion of right and left (Fagot and Vauclair, 1988; Byrne and Byrne, 1991; Parnell, 2001; Lambert, 2012) to true handedness (Meguerditchian et al., 2010). Cerebral anatomical asymmetries, and particularly fronto-occipital petalia, have been found to be related to handedness in modern humans (LeMay, 1976, 1977; Galaburda et al., 1978; LeMay and Kido, 1978; LeMay et al., 1982; Kertesz et al., 1986, 1990; but see; Chiu and Damasio, 1980), and more generally to specific aspects of human cognition (Hecaen and Albert, 1978; Nass and Gazzaniga, 1987; Bryden, 1988; Harrington, 1995; Gazzaniga, 1995a, b). The existence of asymmetrical patterns for the frontal and occipital petalias in great apes, including Gorilla beringei graueri, have recently been reported (Balzeau and Gilissen, 2010; Balzeau et al., 2012).

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View full text

Asymmetries of the skull and handedness: Phrenology revisited

Abstract

Cortex

Cortex

Neuropsychologia

Neuropsychologia

Left handedness and stuttering as signs diagnostic of epileptics

J. ment. Sci.

Localized thinning and enlargement of the cranium with special reference to the middle fossa

Amer. J. Roentgenol.

The effect of handedness on the perception of simultaneity and temporal order

Brain

On the Origins of the Moral Qualities and Intellectual Faculties of Man

Human brain — Left-right asymmetries in temporal speech region

Science

The development of handedness

Pedagogical Seminary and J. Genet. Psychol.

Asymmetry of skull in relation to subdural collections of fluid

Brit. J. Radiol.

Paroxysmal dysphasia and the problem of cerebral dominance

J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiat.

Arteriographic correlates of handedness

Neurology (Minneap.)

Computerized transverse axial scanning

Brit. J. Radiol.

Reactions of bones of skull to intracranial lesions

Brit. J. Radiol.