Hemispheric asymmetry in language-related brain regions

IF 2.7 4区医学 Q3 NEUROSCIENCES

Brain Research Pub Date : 2025-03-27 DOI:10.1016/j.brainres.2025.149606

Daniel Panszczyk , Caitlin Dale , Florian Kurth , Eileen Luders

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Abstract

Structural asymmetries of the human brain have been widely studied in previous research. However, there is a lack of consistency across studies in terms of whether brain regions are larger in the left hemisphere than the right (leftward asymmetry), larger in the right hemisphere than the left (rightward asymmetry), or similar in both hemispheres (no asymmetry). Moreover, some of the existing studies exploring brain asymmetry were based on only small sample sizes and/or restricted to younger participants. Thus, here we analysed brain asymmetry in a well-powered sample (n = 532) later in life (mean age: 67 years). Given that language is known to be strongly lateralized in the brain, the current study focused on regions related to language. When assessing cortical volumes and surface areas, we observed significant leftward asymmetries for the superior temporal gyrus, superior temporal sulcus, supramarginal gyrus, pars opercularis, transverse gyrus, and temporal gyrus, whereas the pars triangularis showed a significant rightward asymmetry. In contrast, when assessing cortical thickness, we detected a significant leftward asymmetry for the pars triangularis and a significant rightward asymmetry for the superior temporal sulcus. The present observations on asymmetry in language-related brain regions in a large sample of older but neurologically healthy participants may serve as a normative framework against which data from clinical samples can be compared.

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大脑语言相关区域的半球不对称

人类大脑结构的不对称性在以往的研究中得到了广泛的研究。然而，关于大脑区域是左半球比右半球大（左向不对称），右半球比左半球大（右向不对称），还是两个半球相似（无不对称），研究之间缺乏一致性。此外，一些探索大脑不对称的现有研究仅基于小样本量和/或仅限于年轻参与者。因此，在这里，我们分析了一个能量充足的样本（n = 532）在生命后期（平均年龄：67岁）的大脑不对称性。鉴于语言在大脑中被认为是高度偏侧化的，目前的研究集中在与语言相关的区域。在评估皮质体积和表面积时，我们观察到颞上回、颞上沟、边缘上回、小叶部、横回和颞回明显向左不对称，而三角部则表现出明显的向右不对称。相比之下，在评估皮质厚度时，我们发现三角部有明显的左向不对称，颞上沟有明显的右向不对称。目前对大量老年但神经健康参与者的语言相关脑区域不对称性的观察可以作为临床样本数据比较的规范框架。

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来源期刊

Brain Research 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

3.40%

发文量

268

审稿时长

47 days

期刊介绍： An international multidisciplinary journal devoted to fundamental research in the brain sciences. Brain Research publishes papers reporting interdisciplinary investigations of nervous system structure and function that are of general interest to the international community of neuroscientists. As is evident from the journals name, its scope is broad, ranging from cellular and molecular studies through systems neuroscience, cognition and disease. Invited reviews are also published; suggestions for and inquiries about potential reviews are welcomed. With the appearance of the final issue of the 2011 subscription, Vol. 67/1-2 (24 June 2011), Brain Research Reviews has ceased publication as a distinct journal separate from Brain Research. Review articles accepted for Brain Research are now published in that journal.