Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Validity of using reaction time as a basis for determining motor laterality

2007; American Physiological Society; Volume: 97; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1152/jn.01221.2006

1522-1598

Daniel J. Goble,

Children's Physical and Motor Development

LETTERS TO THE EDITORValidity of using reaction time as a basis for determining motor lateralityDaniel GobleDaniel GoblePublished Online:01 Feb 2007https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.01221.2006MoreSectionsPDF (29 KB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailWeChat To the Editor: In a recent letter to the editor, Dr. Derakhshan (2006) responded to a study conducted by Gonzalez and colleagues (2006a) that explored a potential hemispheric specialization for the visual control of action independent of subject handedness. In his letter, Dr. Derakshan suggested that an important variable of concern, which was measured but not reported by Gonzalez et al., is that of reaction time. In this case, it was argued that this measure is an effective means of determining in which cerebral hemisphere (right vs. left) lies the “control center” for movement, based on the side of the body that can be more rapidly brought into motion.In reply to this request Gonzalez et al. (2006b) emphasized that the visuomotor advantage they reported was distinctly different from any notion of a hemispheric dominance for a command center and that movements in their study were not speeded, thus rendering reaction time measures unreliable. Although I fully accept this response, I feel compelled to express my own concern for the efficacy of using simple reaction time measures as a means of determining “neural handedness” or the location of the motor center. Certainly, Dr. Derakshan provided substantial evidence from clinical sources indicating a correlation between left hemisphere laterality and right-hand leading when comparing left- and right-hand reaction times in right-handed individuals. However, ignored in this argument are the results from two decades of study in the area of motor control that have consistently generated the contradictory result—a left-arm (right-hemisphere) reaction time advantage in the preparation and execution of movements made by right-handed individuals (Barthélémy and Boulinguez 2001, 2002; Boulinguez and Nougier 1999; Bradshaw et al. 1990; Carson et al. 1990, 1993, 1995; Velay et al. 1999, 2001).Although the simplicity of measuring reaction time makes it an attractive means of assessing motor laterality, given the polarity of results from clinical and motor control approaches to study, it is difficult to endorse such a practice. Rather, a more involved process of determining limb/hemisphere specialization is likely necessary, including a mixture of hand-preference scales and limb-performance measures in association with brain-imaging techniques.REFERENCESBarthélémy and Boulinguez 2001 Barthélémy S, Boulinguez P. Manual reaction time asymmetries in human subjects: the role of movement planning and attention. Neurosci Lett 315: 41–44, 2001.Crossref | PubMed | ISI | Google ScholarBarthélémy and Boulinguez 2002 Barthélémy S, Boulinguez P. Manual asymmetries in the directional coding of reaching: further evidence for hemispatial effects and right hemisphere dominance for movement planning. Exp Brain Res 147: 305–312, 2002.Crossref | PubMed | ISI | Google ScholarBoulinguez and Nougier 1999 Boulinguez P, Nougier V. Control of goal-directed movements: the contribution of orienting of visual attention and motor preparation. Acta Psychol (Amst) 103: 21–45, 1999.Crossref | PubMed | ISI | Google ScholarBradshaw et al. 1990 Bradshaw JL, Bradshaw JA, Nettleton NC. Abduction, adduction and hand differences in simple and serial movements. Neuropsychologia 28: 917–931, 1990.Crossref | PubMed | ISI | Google ScholarCarson et al. 1995 Carson RG, Chua R, Goodman D, Byblow WD, Elliott D. The preparation of aiming movements. Brain Cogn 28: 133–154, 1995.Crossref | PubMed | ISI | Google ScholarCarson et al. 1990 Carson RG, Elliott D, Goodman D, Dickinson J. Manual asymmetries in the reproduction of a 3-dimensional spatial location. Neuropsychologia 28: 99–103, 1990.Crossref | PubMed | ISI | Google ScholarCarson et al. 1993 Carson RG, Goodman D, Chua R, Elliott D. Asymmetries in the regulation of visually guided aiming. J Mot Behav 25: 21–32, 1993.Crossref | PubMed | ISI | Google ScholarDerakhshan 2006 Derakhshan I. Laterality of the command center in relation to handedness and simple reaction time: a clinical perspective [Letter to the Editor]. J Neurophysiol 96: 3556, 2006.Link | ISI | Google ScholarGonzalez et al. 2006a Gonzalez CL, Ganel T, Goodale MA. Hemispheric specialization for the visual control of action is independent of handedness. J Neurophysiol 95: 3496–3501, 2006a.Link | ISI | Google ScholarGonzalez et al. 2006b Gonzalez CL, Ganel T, Goodale MA. Reply. J Neurophysiol 96: 3557, 2006b.Link | ISI | Google ScholarVelay and Benoit-Dubrocard 1999 Velay JL, Benoit-Dubrocard S. Hemispheric asymmetry and interhemispheric transfer in reaching programming. Neuropsychologia 37: 895–903, 1999.Crossref | PubMed | ISI | Google ScholarVelay et al. 2001 Velay JL, Daffaure V, Raphael N, Benoit-Dubrocard S. Hemispheric asymmetry and interhemispheric transfer in pointing depend on the spatial components of the movement. Cortex 37: 75–79, 2001.Crossref | PubMed | ISI | Google Scholar Download PDF Previous Back to Top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedInformationCited ByDynamic dominance varies with handedness: reduced interlimb asymmetries in left-handers24 November 2011 | Experimental Brain Research, Vol. 216, No. 3Influence of disturbances on the control of PC-mouse, goal-directed arm movementsMedical Engineering & Physics, Vol. 32, No. 9EMG as a key tool to assess motor lateralization and hand reaction time asymmetriesJournal of Neuroscience Methods, Vol. 179, No. 1Lateralities of motor control and the alien hand always coincide: further observations on directionality in callosal traffic underpinning handedness19 July 2013 | Neurological Research, Vol. 31, No. 3Movement structure in young and elderly adults during goal-directed movements of the left and right armBrain and Cognition, Vol. 69, No. 1The biological and behavioral basis of upper limb asymmetries in sensorimotor performanceNeuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Vol. 32, No. 3 More from this issue > Volume 97Issue 2February 2007Pages 1868-1868 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2007 by the American Physiological Societyhttps://doi.org/10.1152/jn.01221.2006PubMed17289938History Published online 1 February 2007 Published in print 1 February 2007 Metrics