title: Transcallosal transfer of information and functional asymmetry of the human brain.
abstract: The corpus callosum is the largest commissure in the brain and acts as a "bridge" of nerve fibres connecting the two cerebral hemispheres. It plays a crucial role in interhemispheric integration and is responsible for normal communication and cooperation between the two hemispheres. Evolutionary pressures guiding brain size are accompanied by reduced interhemispheric and enhanced intrahemispheric connectivity. Some lines of evidence suggest that the speed of transcallosal conduction is limited in large brains (e.g., in humans), thus favouring intrahemispheric processing and brain lateralisation. Patterns of directional symmetry/asymmetry of transcallosal transfer time may be related to the degree of brain lateralisation. Neural network modelling and electrophysiological studies on interhemispheric transmission provide data supporting this supposition.
authors: Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Department of Neurophysiology, Warsaw, Poland. nowicka@nencki.gov.pl
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Nowicka
authors: Pawel
authors: P
authors: Tacikowski
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping; D054022:Cerebrum / Q000502:physiology*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D014163:Transfer, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*