Publisher's Synopsis
How and why the human brain evolved as an anatomically and functionally asymmetrical organ are the major questions explored in this work. Of special interest is the role brain lateralization plays in the human capacity for language. Does this condition represent a new and unique step in brain organization, or does it reflect a continuation and embellishment of patterns observed in other life forms? Other topics discussed include how the human brain is currently organized in regard to brain lateralization, the relationship between anatomical and functional brain asymmetry, the evolutionary and genetic relationship between handedness and cognitive dominance, the duality of consciousness, the developmental basis of cerebral dominance, and the nonhuman manifestations of brain asymmetry.
