Long distance communication in the human brain: timing constraints for inter-hemispheric synchrony and the origin of brain lateralization

• Main Authors: FRANCISCO ABOITIZ, JAVIER LÓPEZ, JUAN MONTIEL
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2003-01-01
• Series: Biological Research
• Subjects: axon; brain lateralization; corpus callosum; inter-hemispheric transfer; synchrony; vision
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0716-97602003000100007

Analysis of corpus callosum fiber composition reveals that inter-hemispheric transmission time may put constraints on the development of inter-hemispheric synchronic ensembles, especially in species with large brains like humans. In order to overcome this limitation, a subset of large-diameter callosal fibers are specialized for fast inter-hemispheric transmission, particularly in large-brained species. Nevertheless, the constraints on fast inter-hemispheric communication in large-brained species can somehow contribute to the development of ipsilateral, intrahemispheric networks, which might promote the development of brain lateralization.