ABSTRACT

Current understanding of lateralization and of how the cerebral hemispheres interact is

surprisingly limited. For example, in spite of a century of experimental research, it

remains unclear today which recognized underlying cortical asymmetries (regional size,

connectivity, neurotransmitter levels, etc.) actually lead to cerebral specialization,

whether the overall influence of one hemisphere on the other is excitatory or inhibitory,

and the extent to which the intact contralateral hemisphere contributes to recovery

following cortical damage (Hellige, 1993; Davidson & Hagdahl, 1995).