title: Visual lateralization of pattern discrimination in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether bottlenose dolphins have cerebral asymmetries of visual processing. The monocular performance of the adult dolphin Goliath was tested using a large number of simultaneous multiple pattern discrimination tasks. The experiments revealed a clear right eye advantage in the acquisition and the retention of pattern discriminations as well as asymmetries in the interhemispheric transfer of visual information. As a result of a complete decussation at the optic nerve, this right eye superiority is probably related to a left hemisphere dominance in visual processing.
authors.affiliation: Tiergarten Nürnberg, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: von Fersen
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schall
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Güntürkün
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D004289:Dolphins / Q000502:physiology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D015349:Vision, Monocular / Q000502:physiology