Asymmetry of Motor Behavior and Sensory Perception: Which Comes First?

Lesley J Rogers

doi:10.3390/sym12050690

Abstract

By examining the development of lateralization in the sensory and motor systems of the human fetus and chick embryo, this paper debates which lateralized functions develop first and what interactions may occur between the different sensory and motor systems during development. It also discusses some known influences of inputs from the environment on the development of lateralization, particularly the effects of light exposure on the development of visual and motor lateralization in chicks. The effects of light on the human fetus are related in this context. Using the chick embryo as a model to elucidate the genetic and environmental factors involved in development of lateralization, some understanding has been gained about how these lateralized functions emerge. At the same time, the value of carrying out much more research on the development of the various types of lateralization has become apparent.

Highlights

The introductory outline for this Special Issue raises the question as to whether asymmetry in perception generates asymmetrical motor behavior or whether motor asymmetry comes first and generates asymmetry of perception
The developing chick embryo provides a model system useful in addressing questions of sensory-motor development [64] and, since sensory and motor systems develop at different stages of embryonic incubation, it should be possible to gain some understanding of the sequence of asymmetrical development
At a time when the asymmetry of brain function was thought to a unique characteristic of humans, its manifestation in language, handedness, and tool use was considered by some researchers to be linked, and generated by a unitary cause, even due to a single gene locus, as Annett [102] suggested for handedness

Summary

Introduction

The introductory outline for this Special Issue raises the question as to whether asymmetry in perception generates asymmetrical motor behavior or whether motor asymmetry comes first and generates asymmetry of perception. Consistent with these findings, in a study on mouse lemurs by Scheumann and Zimmerman [22], no association was found between hand preference and lateralization of auditory processing: male mouse lemurs were found to turn their head to the right to attend to conspecific calls signaling negative valence and this bias was not associated with their hand preferences In these examples, at least, and for these particular tasks, asymmetry of sensory processing is unrelated to the asymmetry of motor action. The question concerning the presence or absence of an association between sensory and motor asymmetries in humans has been addressed by examining the degree of correlation between hand preferences and a range of sensory processes [11,12,24] It has been addressed from an evolutionary perspective [25,26], with a focus on which type of lateralization may have evolved first.

Development and Lateralization in Humans

Studying Embryonic Development in a Model Species

Asymmetry of Development of the Chick Embryo

Comparing Species

Conclusions