Possible Factors Mediating Lateralization Effect in Limb Positioning Movements and Hemispheric Specialization

Several influential factors mediating possible cerebral hemispheric specialization in limb positioning movements were reviewed. One important factor may be cognitive strategies employed by subjects in encoding available parameters during a given task. The difference between proximal and distal muscle groups for a task is also shown to be a crucial factor. Lateralization effects seem to appear in the distal parts while possible interhemispheric interference/conflict could occur in the proximal parts. The hemispace should also be considered as an important factor causing lateralization effects. These factors are suggested to be critically important to study motor control in limb positioning movements with respect to hemispheric specialization