About this Research Topic
Dr. Roger W. Sperry (1913-1994) was a Professor of Psychobiology Biology at the California Institute of Technology, USA. Throughout his career, he made important contributions to at least three major areas of research, including developmental neurobiology, experimental psychobiology, and human split-brain studies.
His most prominent experiments included tests to understand the basic neurologic and psychologic consequences of split-brain surgery. The results of his tests revealed that the cortical commissures were critical to the interhemispheric integration of perceptual and motor function. Moreover, he demonstrated for the first time that the right hemisphere was specialized for certain functions involving nonverbal processes, whereas the left hemisphere was dominant for language.
In 1981 he received a Nobel Prize Award recognizing the groundbreaking research on the human split-brain that led to discoveries on the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres.
His fundamental findings opened the door for the development of theories of consciousness and cerebral specialization, cognitive science, and clinical neurology. Dr. Roger W. Sperry`s work is an inspiration to scientists who investigate the human conscious process and brain functions.
This Research Topic aims to highlight and build on Dr. Roger W. Sperry`s legacy of commissurotomy (split-brain) studies. The goal is to spotlight recent advances and methods in research on interhemispheric transfer and the lateralization of brain functions.
The topic will include, but not limited to:
• The consequences of cutting the corpus callosum (“split-brain”).
• Mechanisms of interhemispheric transfer of brain functions.
• The role of the corpus callosum in the interhemispheric transfer.
• Neuroplasticity in individuals with callosal dysgenesis.
• Neuropsychological syndromes in patients with callosal dysgenesis and/or patients that underwent callosotomy.
His most prominent experiments included tests to understand the basic neurologic and psychologic consequences of split-brain surgery. The results of his tests revealed that the cortical commissures were critical to the interhemispheric integration of perceptual and motor function. Moreover, he demonstrated for the first time that the right hemisphere was specialized for certain functions involving nonverbal processes, whereas the left hemisphere was dominant for language.
In 1981 he received a Nobel Prize Award recognizing the groundbreaking research on the human split-brain that led to discoveries on the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres.
His fundamental findings opened the door for the development of theories of consciousness and cerebral specialization, cognitive science, and clinical neurology. Dr. Roger W. Sperry`s work is an inspiration to scientists who investigate the human conscious process and brain functions.
This Research Topic aims to highlight and build on Dr. Roger W. Sperry`s legacy of commissurotomy (split-brain) studies. The goal is to spotlight recent advances and methods in research on interhemispheric transfer and the lateralization of brain functions.
The topic will include, but not limited to:
• The consequences of cutting the corpus callosum (“split-brain”).
• Mechanisms of interhemispheric transfer of brain functions.
• The role of the corpus callosum in the interhemispheric transfer.
• Neuroplasticity in individuals with callosal dysgenesis.
• Neuropsychological syndromes in patients with callosal dysgenesis and/or patients that underwent callosotomy.
Keywords: split-brain, interhemispheric transfer, brain lateralization, corpus callosum
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