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ERIC Number: EJ743685
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Oct
Pages: 8
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0278-2626
EISSN: N/A
Corpus Callosum Size is Linked to Dichotic Deafness and Hemisphericity, Not Sex or Handedness
Morton, Bruce E.; Rafto, Stein E.
Brain and Cognition, v62 n1 p1-8 Oct 2006
Individuals differ in the number of corpus callosum (CC) nerve fibers interconnecting their cerebral hemispheres by about threefold. Early reports suggested that males had smaller CCs than females. This was often interpreted to support the concept that the male brain is more "lateralized" or "specialized," thus accounting for presumed male predominance in mathematics, as well as for aggressive behavior. Ultimately, meta-analyses of these many reports found no significant overall sex differences in inter-cerebral information carrying capacity. Here, using quantitative MRI, we found the midline CC area of 113 subjects was significantly correlated, not with handedness or sex, but with dichotic deafness, and even more so with redefined hemisphericity, the latter accounting for over 19% of CC variability. That is, both dichotic hearing and right brain-oriented individuals of either sex had significantly larger CCs than dichotically deaf or left brain-oriented persons. Thus, current traditions of brain laterality and gender may benefit from revisions that include redefined hemisphericity.
Elsevier. 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800. Tel: 877-839-7126; Tel: 407-345-4020; Fax: 407-363-1354; e-mail: usjcs@elsevier.com; Web site: http://www.elsevier.com.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A