title: Asymmetry of the Brain: Development and Implications.
abstract: Although the left and right hemispheres of our brains develop with a high degree of symmetry at both the anatomical and functional levels, it has become clear that subtle structural differences exist between the two sides and that each is dominant in processing specific cognitive tasks. As the result of evolutionary conservation or convergence, lateralization of the brain is found in both vertebrates and invertebrates, suggesting that it provides significant fitness for animal life. This widespread feature of hemispheric specialization has allowed the emergence of model systems to study its development and, in some cases, to link anatomical asymmetries to brain function and behavior. Here, we present some of what is known about brain asymmetry in humans and model organisms as well as what is known about the impact of environmental and genetic factors on brain asymmetry development. We specifically highlight the progress made in understanding the development of epithalamic asymmetries in zebrafish and how this model provides an exciting opportunity to address brain asymmetry at different levels of complexity.
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, Center de Biologie du Développement (CBD), F-31062 Toulouse, France; email: myriam.roussigne@univ-tlse3.fr.|CNRS, CBD UMR 5547, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Duboc
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, Center de Biologie du Développement (CBD), F-31062 Toulouse, France; email: myriam.roussigne@univ-tlse3.fr.|CNRS, CBD UMR 5547, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dufourcq
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, Center de Biologie du Développement (CBD), F-31062 Toulouse, France; email: myriam.roussigne@univ-tlse3.fr.|CNRS, CBD UMR 5547, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Blader
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, Center de Biologie du Développement (CBD), F-31062 Toulouse, France; email: myriam.roussigne@univ-tlse3.fr.|CNRS, CBD UMR 5547, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roussigné
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D019261:Epithalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006728:Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D011187:Posture; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones
keywords: animal models; genetics of brain lateralization; human hemispheric specialization; zebrafish epithalamus