0362-1197/05/3102- © 2005 MAIK “Nauka /Interperiodica” 0142 Human Physiology, Vol. 31, No. 2, 2005, pp. 142–149. Translated from Fiziologiya Cheloveka, Vol. 31, No. 2, 2005, pp. 24–33. Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Chernigovskaya, Gavrilova, Voinov, Strel’nikov. Hemispheric localization of the functions of the human brain has for many years been one of the most important branches of modern neurophysiology and related sciences. It is remarkable, however, that, as early as in 1844, Wigan [1] not only suggested indepen- dent, or individual, work of the right and left brain hemispheres but also described in detail their features and even cognitive types characteristic of each hemi- sphere. It is a striking fact that neither this interesting work, nor the studies of the renowned British neurolo- gists Jackson [2] (1868) and Wilks [3] (1872), nor the investigations of the Russian researchers Manaseina [4] (1883) and Astvatsaturov [5] (1923) had any influence on the ideas of the hemispheric organization of higher functions of the brain, whereas Broca’s and Wernicke’s discoveries gained wide scientific recognition for many decades. The evolution of various asymmetries in ani- mals facilitated their environmental adaptation, and formation of the functional asymmetry of the brain has provided, in a similar way, for the development of cru- cial human-specific features such as speech (with cor- responding cognitive possibilities). It is difficult to overestimate the role of the cerebral asymmetry in adaptation to anthropogenic factors of the physical and information environment, which is continuously increasing in complexity [6]. The avalanche of works on the functional mapping of the brain, i.e., the recording of neuronal activity dur- ing mental performance, shows that virtually the whole brain is involved in the activity: for example, visual areas are activated during reading and motor areas dur- ing sound production, along with speech centers tradi- tionally known as responsible for verbal functions. It is quite clear that regions associated with attention, mem- ory, and emotions are also activated, along with many subcortical structures. A great amount of factual evi- dence for hemispheric specificity has been accumulated using different models, for example, by studying patients with commissurotomy, focal pathology, or mental disorders of different origins [7–12]. Develop- ment of noninvasive methods of brain investigation has yielded a wealth of evidence concerning the healthy human brain of right- and left-handers and subjects of both genders and of different ages, including newborns and fetuses examined in the prenatal period. Neuro- science invokes genetic, morphometric, and neuro- chemical data. In parallel, the importance of knowledge accumulated by sciences traditionally involved in anthropological investigations proper, such as linguis- tics, cognitive and cross-cultural psychology, and neu- ropsychology, as well as in aspects of artificial intelli- gence such as cognitive and sensory functions, has been realized [13–19]. There are also many concepts attempting to systematize empirical data. Paradigms prevailing during certain periods—from purely localizationist theories, with the areas responsi- ble for mental arithmetic or singing being found in the brain cortex, to ideas of dynamic localization, with almost the whole brain being considered to be involved in all intricate functions—alternated depending on the state of scientific knowledge. To date, the question has been poorly clarified and the above paradigms still coexist or alternate. Sensorimotor and Cognitive Laterality Profiles T. V. Chernigovskaya*, T. A. Gavrilova**, A. V. Voinov***, and K. N. Strel’nikov**** * St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia e-mail: tatiana@tc3839.spb.edu ** St. Petersburg State Technical University, St. Petersburg, 195251 Russia *** Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia **** Medical Faculty, St. Petersburg State University, and Institute of the Human Brain, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 197022 Russia Received January 20, 2004 Abstract—Different types of functional asymmetries, which form individual laterality profiles, were compared with the use of a battery of sensorimotor and cognitive laterality tests (TOPOS), the Benziger thinking style assessment (BTSA) test, the Cattell 17PF test, and psychosemantic multidimensional scaling. The proportion of men was shown to be higher among individuals with the left-side, symmetrical, and intersecting motor lat- erality profiles. Men with a dominant left leg or without asymmetry in the profile were more frequent than women, whereas women prevailed among persons with a dominant left eye. Different laterality profiles were obtained for different factors of the Cattell test. Comparison of the sensorimotor laterality and the BTSA data showed that more than half of persons with the left-hemispheric sensorimotor profile prefer right-hemispheric cognitive strategies. The results suggest that lateralities of different types may be nonuniform.