A multi-level approach on the relation between laterality and neurodevelopmental traits

• Applicant: Dr. Judith Schmitz
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: from 2019 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 418445085

While the human body appears more or less symmetric on the outside, many of our internal organs are arranged asymmetrically. The left and right halves of the human brain look similar, but are specialized for different functions. These hemispheric asymmetries are a fundamental principle of brain organization. In most individuals, the left hemisphere excels at fine motor control, which is reflected in everyday behaviour as right-handedness. If we are left- or right-handed is partly genetically determined, but the molecular determinants are not well understood. A recent study suggests that genes establishing body asymmetries in early development might also influence handedness. My project aims to investigate if genes controlling body asymmetries also control other forms of asymmetric behaviour such as eyedness (the preference for one eye, for example when looking through a keyhole) and footedness (the preference for one foot, for example when kicking a ball). What is particularly interesting about this field of research is that hemispheric asymmetries seem to be reduced in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and reading disability. For example, a language-associated brain area called planum temporale, which is usually larger in the left hemisphere, is rather symmetrical in individuals with reading disability. While it seems that the development of an asymmetrical brain is advantageous, my project aims to find out if the relation between neurodevelopmental disorders and asymmetries has its roots in genes involved in body asymmetry development.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Host: Dr. Silvia Paracchini