Skip to main content

Right-Hemisphere Processing

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
  • 25 Accesses

Definition

Right hemisphere processing is generally characterized as “holistic” and “integrative” and has substantial roles in a variety of cognitive and communication processes. As a result, damage to the right hemisphere can cause disorders of cognition, including attention, organization, problem solving, reasoning, and awareness. Communication disorders associated with right hemisphere damage (RHD) are varied and present heterogeneously across patients, but tend to impact pragmatics. Deficits can include expression and comprehension of prosody and emotions, organization and efficiency of communication, and interpretation of intended meanings.

Historical Background

The right cerebral hemisphere received the label “nondominant hemisphere” because of its apparent lack of involvement in language processing compared to the language-rich left hemisphere. However, it is now well known that the right hemisphere plays a critical role in a number of diverse cognitive and communication...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   899.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   1,099.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References and Readings

  • Bartolomeo, P. (2014). Attention disorders after right brain damage. New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Blake, M. L. (2018). The right hemisphere and disorders of cognition and communication: Theory and clinical practice. San Diego: Plural Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hillis, A. E. (2014). Inability to empathize: Brain lesions that disrupt sharing and understanding another’s emotions. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 137(Pt 4), 981–997. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awt317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, R. L. C., & Ross, E. D. (2013). Attitudinal prosody: What we know and directions for future study. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 37(3), 471–479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.01.027.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Prigatano, G. (2010). The study of anosognosia. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, C. A., Klepousniotou, E., & Gibbs Scott, A. (2012). Nature and assessment of right hemisphere disorders. In I. Papathanasiou, P. Coppens, & C. Potagas (Eds.), Aphasia and related neurogenic communication disorders (pp. 297–343). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margaret Lehman Blake .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Blake, M.L. (2018). Right-Hemisphere Processing. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_9020

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics