This study was aimed to analyse the lower limb kinematics during the change of direction (COD) performance with the dominant (DL) and non-dominant (NDL) leg using linear (traditional kinematics) and nonlinear (Self Organising Map-based cluster analysis) approaches. Three 5-0-5 COD performances with the DL and three with the NDL were performed by 23 (aged 21.6 ± 2.3 years) collegiate athletes. No significant difference was observed between the COD duration, and approach speed of DL and NDL. Significantly greater ankle abductions, knee and hip external rotations were identified in COD with DL, compared to NDL (p < .001, d > 0.8). Self Organising Maps portrayed a completely different coordination pattern profile during change of direction performance with the DL and NDL. The cluster analysis illustrated similar inter-individual coordination patterning when participants turned with their DL or NDL. No visible relationship was observed in the cluster analysis of the lower limb joint angles and angular velocities. Outcomes of this study portrayed that coordination patterning (combination of joint angles and the rate of change of angles) could portray the movement patterning differences in different tasks, while a sole investigation on the joint angles or angular velocities may not reveal the underlying mechanisms of movement patterning.
- MeSH
- Leg * physiology MeSH
- Biomechanical Phenomena MeSH
- Lower Extremity * physiology MeSH
- Functional Laterality * physiology MeSH
- Ankle physiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Motor Skills * physiology MeSH
- Nonlinear Dynamics MeSH
- Movement physiology MeSH
- Cluster Analysis MeSH
- Athletic Performance * physiology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
BACKGROUND: Research on the possible influence of lateralised basal ganglia dysfunction on speech in Parkinson's disease is scarce. This study aimed to compare speech in de-novo, drug-naive patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with asymmetric nigral dopaminergic dysfunction, predominantly in either the right or left hemisphere. METHODS: Acoustic analyses of reading passages were performed. Asymmetry of nigral dysfunction was defined using dopamine transporter-single-photon emission CT (DAT-SPECT). RESULTS: From a total of 135 de novo patients with PD assessed, 47 patients had a lower right and 36 lower left DAT availability in putamen based on DAT-SPECT. Patients with PD with lower left DAT availability had higher dysarthria severity via composite dysarthria index compared with patients with lower right DAT availability (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Our data support the crucial role of DAT availability in the left putamen in speech. This finding might provide important clues for managing speech following deep brain stimulation.
- MeSH
- Basal Ganglia * physiopathology diagnostic imaging MeSH
- Dysarthria physiopathology diagnostic imaging etiology MeSH
- Functional Laterality * physiology MeSH
- Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Parkinson Disease * physiopathology diagnostic imaging complications MeSH
- Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins metabolism MeSH
- Putamen diagnostic imaging metabolism physiopathology MeSH
- Speech * physiology MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Check Tag
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
The cerebellum, a lateralised organ, plays a crucial role in motor control. Still, its involvement in hand and foot dominance remains inadequately understood, primarily in the right and left-side dominant population. A potential manifestation of this lateralisation is the neocerebellar extinction syndrome, previously linked to mild muscle hypotonia and moderate passivity in the non-preferred hand. A more precise understanding of the cerebellum's role in limb dominance patterns could provide valuable insights into motor learning, rehabilitation therapies, and neuroplasticity. This study explored the relationship between physiological neocerebellar extinction syndrome and hand/ft dominance in left and right-side dominant individuals. Data were collected from 80 university participants (40 left-side dominant, 40 right-side dominant, mean age = 24.7 ± 0.92 years) during controlled limb falls using 3D kinematic analysis. In these falls, theoretically suggested hypotonia in non-dominant limbs was analysed through attenuation coefficients and frequency differences. Using a linear mixed model, we found significantly lower hand attenuation in the non-dominant hand-(β = 0.10, p < 0.001), showing hypotonia compared to the dominant hand regardless of upper limb side dominance. Foot preference and dominance had minimal influence on leg attenuation or frequency, although right-footed, right-dominant individuals demonstrated significantly higher leg oscillation frequency, likely due to increased proximal muscle mass. Our findings suggest that distinct differences in cortical representation, lateralised control, and pathway specialisation exist due to the unique demands of each limb's motor functions, which are pronounced more neocerebellar extinction syndrome in the upper extremities. Therefore, the results showed potentially new perspectives on the cerebellum's nuanced role in motor control and laterality. The differential effects observed between the upper and lower limbs point to distinct cerebellar pathways and hypotonia. This work could significantly enhance the precision of therapeutic approaches and broaden our knowledge of laterality in motor function.
- MeSH
- Biomechanical Phenomena MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Functional Laterality * physiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Cerebellum * physiopathology MeSH
- Foot physiology MeSH
- Hand MeSH
- Muscle Hypotonia physiopathology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
We aimed to describe facial directional asymmetry (DA) in individuals with different manifestations of laterality. Due to the overlap between brain and face development, a relationship between the manifestation of brain laterality and DA is hypothesised. These findings could clarify the relationship between the brain and facial phenotype and help to plan facial or oral motor rehabilitation. The DA of 163 healthy individuals was assessed by two complementary 3D methods: landmark and polygonal surface analysis using colour-coded maps. Handedness was assessed using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, while chewing side and eye preferences were self-reported. The results showed a similar DA pattern regardless of sex and laterality (the right-sided protrusion of the forehead, nose, lips, and chin) and a slightly curved C-shape of the midline in landmark analysis. A relationship between lateralized behaviours and DA was found only in males, in females the DA pattern was more homogenous. Right-handed individuals and right-side chewers showed a protrusion of the right hemiface. Males, left-handed and left-side chewers, manifested a protrusion of the left lateral hemiface. We suggest that these specific differences in males may be due to their typically higher level of brain asymmetry. No apparent relationship was found between eyedness and DA.
- MeSH
- Facial Asymmetry * physiopathology MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Functional Laterality * physiology MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Face physiology MeSH
- Mastication * physiology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Development of the craniofacies occurs in embryological intimacy with development of the brain and both show normal left-right asymmetries. While facial dysmorphology occurs to excess in psychotic illness, facial asymmetry has yet to be investigated as a putative index of brain asymmetry. Ninety-three subjects (49 controls, 22 schizophrenia, 22 bipolar disorder) received 3D laser surface imaging of the face. On geometric morphometric analysis with (x, y, z) visualisations of statistical models for facial asymmetries, in controls the upper face and periorbital region, which share embryological intimacy with the forebrain, showed marked asymmetries. Their geometry included: along the x-axis, rightward asymmetry in its dorsal-medial aspects and leftward asymmetry in its ventral-lateral aspects; along the z-axis, anterior protrusion in its right ventral-lateral aspect. In both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder these normal facial asymmetries were diminished, with residual retention of asymmetries in bipolar disorder. This geometry of normal facial asymmetries shows commonalities with that of normal frontal lobe asymmetries. These findings indicate a trans-diagnostic process that involves loss of facial asymmetries in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Embryologically, they implicate loss of face-brain asymmetries across gestational weeks 7-14 in processes that involve genes previously associated with risk for schizophrenia.
- MeSH
- Facial Asymmetry * diagnostic imaging pathology MeSH
- Bipolar Disorder * diagnostic imaging pathology MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Functional Laterality physiology MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Brain diagnostic imaging pathology MeSH
- Face MeSH
- Psychotic Disorders diagnostic imaging pathology MeSH
- Schizophrenia * diagnostic imaging pathology MeSH
- Imaging, Three-Dimensional MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
BACKGROUND: Tremor is commonly found among healthy humans or prevalently a symptom of neurological dysfunctions. However, the distinction between physiological and pathological tremor is dependent on the examiner's competence. Archimedes Spiral Rating (ASR) is a valid and reproducible semi-quantitative method to assess the severity of action tremor. OBJECTIVES: (1) To assess the range and percentiles of ASR in a large sample seemingly free of tremor-related conditions or symptoms from the population-based CHRIS-study. (2) To analyze the influence of sex, age, and the drawing hand on ASR. (3) To define ASR limits of normal. (4) To supply exemplary Archimedes spiral drawings by each rating to favor consistent and proficient clinical evaluation. METHODS: Accurately investigated participants were randomly sampled over 14 sex-age strata. 2686 paired spirals drawn with both hands by 1343 participants were expertly assessed on a tremor rating scale from 0 to 9. RESULTS: ASR had a quadratic increase with age in both sexes, while it was relatively lower in the dominant compared to the non-dominant hand and in women compared to men. ASRs above sex-age specific 97.5th percentiles of 4 and 5, below and above 60 years of age, respectively, were conceivably of non-physiological nature. CONCLUSIONS: In a large population-based sample we show a steeper increase of action tremor by age as age progresses. Relatively higher ratings among the elderly, males and the non-dominant hands, appear compatible with ASR limits of "normal" across sex-age groups. The current operational evidence may support practitioners differentiating physiological and pathological hand tremor.
- MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Functional Laterality physiology MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Reference Values MeSH
- Hand physiology MeSH
- Aged, 80 and over MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Sex Factors MeSH
- Severity of Illness Index MeSH
- Tremor * physiopathology diagnosis MeSH
- Age Factors MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged, 80 and over MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- MeSH
- Apraxias diagnosis classification pathology MeSH
- Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological classification MeSH
- Functional Laterality physiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Motor Skills * physiology MeSH
- Gait Disorders, Neurologic etiology classification pathology MeSH
- Motor Skills Disorders * diagnosis classification physiopathology MeSH
- Psychomotor Disorders diagnosis MeSH
- Mirror Neurons physiology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Review MeSH
Ballet training has been reported to positively influence balance ability. It is not entirely clear how improved balance ability manifests under standing conditions with different demands on postural control. The aim of the study was to compare balance of ballet dancers and non-dancers in a unipedal stance under different conditions. Twenty-five professional ballet dancers and twenty-five controls completed four unipedal standing balance tests: firm surface with eyes open and closed; foam mat surface with eyes open; and firm surface with eyes open immediately after performing ten 360° whole-body turns. The centre of pressure (COP) data were obtained with a force platform and the direction-specific standard deviations, velocities, and sample entropy of the COP displacement were computed. A three-way analysis of variance was used to compare groups, genders, and conditions. For standing immediately after performing ten turns, the postural sway parameters were significantly larger in the control group compared to the ballet dancers in both men and women. In this stance condition the values of postural sway and COP velocities in the control group were larger in the men compared to the women. For both genders in the control group all postural sway and COP velocity parameters were larger in standing with eyes closed and standing after performing 10 turns compared to standing with eyes open on both firm and foam surface. In the ballet dancers all COP velocity parameters were larger in standing with eyes closed compared to all other conditions. The results from the present study indicate that professional ballet dancers do not have a better general balance ability than untrained subjects.
- MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Functional Laterality physiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Posture physiology MeSH
- Postural Balance physiology MeSH
- Dancing physiology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Comparative Study MeSH
Tato přehledová studie se zaměřuje na fenomén laterality obecně i na její konkrétní formy, což jsou leváctví a asymetrie mozko- vých hemisfér. Autorka se snaží se tyto pojmy definovat, popsat a vysvětlit případný vztah mezi vedoucí rukou a asymetrií hemisfér, konkrétně specializovaných funkčních oblastí v mozku člověka. Ve studii jsou nastíněny teorie, které řeší otázku, proč lateralita rukou a mozku evolučně vznikla a z jakých důvodů se vyvine u jedince, a to z hlediska genetických příčin i možného vlivů prostředí. Studie následně popisuje leváctví a praváctví v lidské populaci, klasifikaci laterality rukou u člověka a možnosti, jak vedoucí ruku určit.
The review focuses on the phenomenon of laterality in general and also it focuses on specific forms of laterality that are handed- ness and the asymmetry of brain hemispheres. The author tries to define the terms, describe the phenomena and explain a potential relation- ship between the dominant hand and the asymmetry of brain hemispheres, specifically the asymmetry of specialized functional areas in the human brain. There are theories presented in the study that try to answer a question why the laterality of hands and brain evolved. Theories about mechanisms of how laterality can develop at an individual level are presented too, both from genetic and environmental points of view. Study subsequently describes handedness among human population, classification of the laterality of hands and ways how one can tell which hand is the dominant one.
