Physical properties of the cerebral hemispheres and paw preferences in mongrel cats: sex-related differences.
This study was performed on 30 female and 18 male mongrel cats, of which 36 appeared to be right- and 12 left-pawed, respectively. The physical features of the brain hemispheres and the paw preferences in cats were investigated related to both functional and morphological asymmetry. Right-pawed cats were more prevalent, with scores ranging from +60 to +80%, as compared with the left-pawed ones scoring from -40 to -60%. However, females were found to be more right-pawed than males, but the differences were not considered significant (p > .05). After half-open ether anesthesia, the whole brain was excised by craniotomy under deep-anesthesia (Ketalar: 40-50 mg/kg). The brains excised were kept in formaldehyde (10%) for three days, and then the weight, volume, density, and the morphological dimensions of left and right hemispheres and whole brain bodies were measured. There were no significant sex-related differences in body weights and paw preferences; nor was there any relation among the weights, volumes, and lengths of right and left hemispheres in either sex. There was, however, a significant sex-related difference between the mean heights of the left hemispheres of both male and female cats (p < .05), which is expected to be on the right hemispheres. As for the total samples, the mean density of the left hemispheres exceeded that of the right hemispheres.
Yüzüncü Yil University Medical School, Department of Physiology, Van, Turkey.
Yalcin
Y
Yetkin
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D005552:Forelimb; D007839:Functional Laterality; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics