Some new trends in the study of the corpus callosum

Abstract

In recent years the corpus callosum has provided a model for the study of cortical connections in the adult and developing brain. In particular, aspects of development originally described in the corpus callosum could be generalized to other cortical connections. New frontiers include the analysis of the human corpus callosum, studies of callosal connections at the cellular level and the analysis of dynamic interactions between the hemispheres. Gross morphological parameters of the human corpus callosum have been measured and related to gender, handedness etc. The detailed dendritic and axonal morphology of individual callosal neurons and their development is being defined. Electrophysiological investigations and computer stimulations are stressing temporal aspects of the interactions between the hemispheres.