Biomedical subjects

Pierre-Yves Hervé

Publications and source records attributed to Pierre-Yves Hervé.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Hemispheric specialization for language: Brain volume matters.

Increasing brain volume may impose constraints, through longer information transfer delays, on the distributed networks supporting language. Here, we assessed the relative effects of brain volume and other putative predictors of the functional variability of perisylvian language areas, as probed with PET, during both a language comprehension and a language production task. In the case of language comprehension (story listening), a linear combination of planum temporale surface, brain volume and handedness could explain almost 60% of the functional asymmetry observed in the perisylvian area. Without brain volume, the goodness of fit was significantly decreased (39%, P < 0.05), and furthermore, the effect of handedness was not detected anymore. This was due to the fact that in our sample, left-handers (n = 12) had a significantly larger brain volume as compared to right-handers (n = 8, P = 0.03). As for language production (verb generation), brain volume and the planum temporale also played a role. However, in this case, the main predictor of functional variability was handedness, where a greater degree of right-handedness was associated with larger activation of left inferior frontal regions. Depending on the language component of interest, these results support different (yet compatible) theories on hemispheric specialization. Left specialization for comprehension could be attributed to the constraints of processing speech stimuli, while a gestural origin of language is mostly supported by the relation we observed between left specialization for production and right-handedness.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Handedness and cerebral anatomical asymmetries in young adult males.

Using voxel-based morphometry, we measured the cerebral anatomical asymmetries in a sample of 56 young right-handed males and then compared voxelwise asymmetry indices of these subjects to those of 56 young left-handed males. In the right-handed, the clusters of grey matter asymmetry corresponding to the leftward occipital petalia and planum temporale asymmetries were retrieved. Strong rightward temporo-parietal asymmetries were also observed, but the rightward grey matter asymmetry in the frontal lobe was less massive than previously described. Group comparisons of left- and right-handed subjects' asymmetry maps, performed at a statistical threshold not corrected for multiple comparisons, revealed significant effects of handedness on this pattern of anatomical asymmetry in frontal regions, notably in the lower central and precentral sulci, and also in the planum temporale, with right-handed subjects being more leftward asymmetric. Concerning white matter, although almost no focal differences between left- and right-handed subjects were detected, volumetric analyses at the hemispheric level revealed a leftward asymmetry, which happened to be significantly less marked in the left-handed. This latter result, together with the pattern of leftward white matter asymmetries, suggested that anatomical correlates of the left hemispheric specialization for language would exist in white matter. In the population we studied, differences in anatomical asymmetry between left- and right-handed subjects provided structural arguments for a greater functional ambilaterality in left-handed subjects.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Finger tapping, handedness and grey matter amount in the Rolando's genu area.

The morphology of the central sulcus (CS), at the level of the hand primary motor cortex, has been shown to be related to hand preference and skill. Differences in the cerebral functional organisation of left and right-handers have been described, notably with respect to hemispheric specialisation, which might cause the neural substrate of hand dominance or skill to differ between the two groups. Here, we further explored the relationship between the anatomical variability of the central sulcus and hand skill in two groups of young male subjects differing by handedness (n = 56 right-handers and n = 55 left-handers). Grey matter volume (GMV) in the upper region of the central sulcus was estimated with Voxel Based Morphometry, using a probabilistic region of interest approach, while hand motor skill was measured with the finger tapping test. No significant anatomical differences could be evidenced between the two hand preference groups, a rightward hemispheric asymmetry being observed in both samples. However, multiple regression analyses showed that, in the right-handed group, the maximum tapping rate of the right hand correlated positively with the left central sulcus GMV, but negatively with the right. Similar analyses showed that, in left-handers, the maximum tapping rate of the non-dominant right hand was strongly correlated with the GMV of the ipsilateral CS but not significantly with that of the contralateral CS. These results may be due to differences in the organisation of motor systems between these two groups, possibly concerning a left hemispheric specialisation for fast repetitive movements in right-handers, which would be different in left-handers.

Adult↗