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Comparative Study
. 2004 Dec 7;271 Suppl 6(Suppl 6):S420-2.
doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2004.0200.

Advantages of having a lateralized brain

Lesley J Rogers  1 , Paolo Zucca, Giorgio Vallortigara
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Advantages of having a lateralized brain

Lesley J Rogers et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Brain lateralization is common among vertebrates. However, despite its implications for higher-order cognitive functions, almost no empirical evidence has been provided to show that it may confer any advantage to the functioning of the brain. Here, we show in the domestic chick (Gallus gallus domesticus) that cerebral lateralization is associated with an enhanced ability to perform two tasks simultaneously: finding food and being vigilant for predators. This finding suggests that cerebral lateralization enhances brain efficiency in cognitive tasks that demand the simultaneous but different use of both hemispheres.

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