Motor control and cerebral hemispheric specialization in highly qualified judo wrestlers.

Full Abstract

With the purpose of investigating motor and cognitive lateralization profiles associated with long-term motor training, we investigated differences in hemispheric specialization between proficient judo sportsmen and controls through the assessment of a number of handedness and footedness items including postural preferences as well as dichotic listening and lateralized visual field tests. Our data show that:
(1) the different handedness and footedness items did differently relate to each other within the athlete and control groups as revealed by a principle component analysis (PCA); (2) stand side correlated differently to these motor profile factors in athletes and controls; (3) athletes preferred more frequently to perform certain movements with the left hand than controls, although overall right-handed; (4) this was especially true for athletes which proved to be most proficient/skilled; and (5) in a lateralized verbal listening task and a lateralized visual field task athletes revealed enhanced right-hemispheric involvement relative to controls. Our results suggest that during motor and postural skill acquisitions (long-term judo training) lateral preferences are modified, probably due to neuroplasticity. Moreover, the present findings support the multidimensional view of handedness by Steenhuis and Bryden [Cortex 25 (1989) 289] and the notion of a right-hemispheric "praxis system" involved in skilled action routines within peripersonal space [Brain and Cognition 23 (1993) 181].

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Author information

Author/s: Mikheev, Maxim (M); Mohr, Christine (C); Afanasiev, Sergei (S); Landis, Theodor (T); Thut, Gregor (G);

Affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical Academy of Postgraduate Studies, Repischeva 4-8-7, 197349 St. Petersburg, Russia. mikheev(-atsign-)mail.wplus.net

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Neuropsychologia (Neuropsychologia), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-; vol 40 (issue 8) : pp 1209-19

Dates: Created 2002/04/04; Completed 2002/09/03; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 11931924, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Dominance, Cerebral
Functional Laterality
Humans
Male
Martial Arts - psychology

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