Directional asymmetries in interhemispheric transmission time: evidence from visual evoked potentials

Abstract

The hypothesis was tested that interhemispheric transfer time (IHTT), as measured in the latency of bilaterally recorded visual evoked potentials, is directionally asymmetric, i.e. that an IHTT is faster for transmission from right-to-left hemisphere, than from left-to-right. A meta-analysis of 18 experiments within the published literature reporting visual evoked potential IHTTs indicates a significant experiment-wise predominance of faster right-to-left IHTTs. A new experiment is also reported in which significantly faster right-to-left IHTT was found in visual evoked potentials recorded from parietal electrodes to lateral visual field presentations while subjects performed a task requiring complex stimulus recognition and analysis, and a choice response.