Cerebral Asymmetry

This book defines the concept of cerebral/hemispheric asymmetry and emphasizes its multidisciplinary nature. It describes biological and functional hemispheric asymmetry and its importance in understanding the overall nature of cerebral asymmetry. Drawing on recent empirical evidence, the book highlights different methods used to examine hemispheric asymmetry and the factors that influence it, such as handedness, gender, aging, and the nature of the task. From a neuropsychological perspective on emotions, it integrates three different approaches: specific populations (unilateral focal brain-damaged patients and neurologically intact brain subjects), behavioral measures (split-field presentation, dichotic listening tasks, and spatial tasks), and response measures (speed and accuracy), along with physiological and neuroimaging techniques (EEG, CT, PET, MRI, and fMRI) to provide a more comprehensive understanding of hemispheric asymmetry in processing facial expressions of emotion. Furthermore, the book highlights the clinical and theoretical significance of this research and outlines the future direction in the research. This book would be useful to the students, researchers, and teachers from the fields of neuropsychology, neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and rehabilitation. The book would also prove to be an essential guide for policy makers.