Post mortem studies have found hemispheric asymmetries in microstructure in several areas of the human brain. However, until recently it was impossible to assess microstructural asymmetries in vivo. In cooperation with the Department of Neurosurgery from Unviersity of New Mexico, a group of researchers from the Biopsychology lab used neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to examine microstructural asymmetries in more than 500 participants to determine if findings are in accordance with what has been reported in post mortem studies. Greater left- than right-hemispheric estimated neurite density was found in early auditory, inferior parietal and temporal-parietal-occipital areas. In contrast, greater right-hemispheric neurite density was found in the fusiform and inferior temporal gyrus, reflecting what has been reported in post mortem studies. Microstructural asymmetries were mostly independent from participants’ sex or handedness. These findings suggest substantial microstructural asymmetries in gray matter, making NODDI a promising marker for future genetic and behavioral studies on laterality.

Schmitz J., Fraenz C., Schlüter C., Friedrich P., Jung R.E., Güntürkün O., Genç E. & Ocklenburg S.. Hemispheric asymmetries in cortical gray matter microstructure identified by neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging. NeuroImage, 2019, 189: 667-675.