RIGHT HEMISPHERIC DOMINANCE FOR MEDIATING CEREBRAL ACTIVATION

Patients with right-hemisphere lesions have been shown to have slower simple reaction times than patients with left-hemisphere lesions. To determine whether the right hemisphere dominates activation (physiologic readiness to response), we gave 24 normal subjects lateralized warning stimuli followed by central reaction time stimuli. Warning stimuli projected to the right hemisphere reduced reaction times of the right hand more than warning stimuli projected to the left hemisphere reduced left hand reaction times. Warning stimuli projected to the right hemisphere reduced reaction times of the right hand even more than warning stimuli projected directly to the left hemisphere. These results support the hypothesis that the right hemisphere dominates activation. © 1979.