Dominance (Cerebral)

Definition

This concept refers to the observation that each cerebral hemisphere is preeminent with regard to a particular behavioral function(s).

Current Knowledge

The notion of cerebral dominance dates to the middle of the nineteenth century when language was first widely recognized as primarily organized in the left hemisphere. In addition, it was noted that the left hemisphere controlled the right hand, the preferred hand for writing, and executing most other skilled unimanual tasks in the majority of individuals. Thus, in its most restricted and common usage, the term “dominant (cerebral) hemisphere” denotes the hemisphere that is primarily responsible for expressing and understanding propositional speech or language and, in right-handers at least, the hemisphere that controls the dominant hand. Since in most cases this is the left hemisphere, until shown otherwise, the dominant hemisphereis generally considered to be the left, especially in right-handed individuals. For...