Research article summary (published 24 Jun 2006):

Gesture handedness predicts asymmetry in the chimpanzee inferior frontal gyrus.

Full Abstract

Neuroanatomical asymmetries have been identified in chimpanzee frontal and temporal lobes including regions believed to be homologous to human Broca's and Wernicke's areas. This study examined whether or not neuroanatomical asymmetries in chimpanzees are associated with hand use during gestural communication. Analyses revealed that those chimpanzees that reliably employ their right hand for manual gestures have larger inferior frontal gyri in the left hemisphere than those apes that do not show consistent hand use for gestures. These findings are the first to provide a direct link between neuroanatomical asymmetries and the production of lateralized communicative behavior in non-human primates.

Learn Faster Today      Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Taglialatela, Jared P (JP); Cantalupo, Claudio (C); Hopkins, William D (WD);

Affiliation: Division of Psychobiology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA.

Grants: 1F32DC007823 (Agency:NIDCD NIH HHS) ; NS-36605 (Agency:NINDS NIH HHS) ; NS-42867 (Agency:NINDS NIH HHS) ; P01 HD038051-050005 (Agency:NICHD NIH HHS) ; R01 NS036605-08 (Agency:NINDS NIH HHS) ; R01 NS042867-05 (Agency:NINDS NIH HHS) ; RR-00165 (Agency:NCRR NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Neuroreport (Neuroreport), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jun; vol 17 (issue 9) : pp 923-7

Dates: Created 2006/06/01; Completed 2006/09/05; Revised 2008/11/20;

PMID: 16738489, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Animals Behavior, Animal Brain Mapping Female Frontal Lobe - physiology Functional Laterality - physiology

Gestures Hand - physiology Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods Male Pan troglodytes - physiology Predictive Value of Tests

Related articles

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

• Sex differences in asymmetry of the planum parietale in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). 19 Jul 2007
• Histological asymmetries of primary motor cortex predict handedness in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). 30 Jul 2007
• Clapping in chimpanzees: evidence of exclusive hand preference in a spontaneous, bimanual gesture. 30 Oct 2006
• Digit representation is more than just hand waving. 30 Oct 2004
• Handedness for tool use correlates with cerebellar asymmetries in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). 30 Jan 2008
• An fMRI study of tool-use gestures: body part as object and pantomime. 24 Aug 2004
• A century of getting to know the chimpanzee. 30 Aug 2005
• Exploring the relationship between cerebellar asymmetry and handedness in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and capuchins (Cebus apella). 18 Feb 2007
• Laterality of hand function in naturalistically housed chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). 29 Apr 2005
• Injuries to the sexual skin of female chimpanzees at Mahale and their effect on behaviour. 30 Dec 1997

See 100+ related articles.

Related Article Map

Legend: - FREE Full text Article. - Abstract only. - Title only. More help.

See a large map of 100+ related articles.