Contribution of callosal connections to the interhemispheric integration of visuomotor and cognitive processes

Neuropsychol Rev. 2010 Jun;20(2):174-90. doi: 10.1007/s11065-010-9130-1. Epub 2010 Apr 17.

Abstract

In recent years, cognitive neuroscience has been concerned with the role of the corpus callosum and interhemispheric communication for lower-level processes and higher-order cognitive functions. There is empirical evidence that not only callosal disconnection but also subtle degradation of the corpus callosum can influence the transfer of information and integration between the hemispheres. The reviewed studies on patients with callosal degradation with and without disconnection indicate a dissociation of callosal functions: while anterior callosal regions were associated with interhemispheric inhibition in situations of semantic (Stroop) and visuospatial (hierarchical letters) competition, posterior callosal areas were associated with interhemispheric facilitation from redundant information at visuomotor and cognitive levels. Together, the reviewed research on selective cognitive functions provides evidence that the corpus callosum contributes to the integration of perception and action within a subcortico-cortical network promoting a unified experience of the way we perceive the visual world and prepare our actions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Brain / physiopathology
  • Cognition / physiology*
  • Corpus Callosum / physiology*
  • Corpus Callosum / physiopathology
  • Functional Laterality / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Motor Activity / physiology*
  • Neural Pathways / physiology
  • Neural Pathways / physiopathology
  • Visual Perception / physiology*