Brain Organization and Behavioral Asymmetries: From Sensory Processing to Cognition Across Species

The two hemispheres of the brain are neither structurally nor functionally symmetrical, and these asymmetries are often reflected in behavior. For more than a century, it was a common but mistaken belief that lateralization was unique to the human brain. However, it is now well established that hemispheric asymmetries are fundamental components of sensory, cognitive, and motor systems across vertebrates and many invertebrates. Behavioral measures such as motor preferences and perceptual biases provide valuable tools for investigating these processes, reflecting links between observable behavior and neural organization. Evidence across taxa also suggests that hemispheric asymmetries may confer evolutionary advantages by enhancing neural efficiency and supporting perceptual, cognitive, and motor performance, with potential benefits for survival.Nonetheless, the extent to which these asymmetries reflect conserved biological principles versus species-specific adaptations shaped by ecological and evolutionary pressures remains an open question. Moreover, as these phenomena are often studied within separate theoretical and methodological frameworks, cross-species comparisons remain challenging. Addressing these limitations is key to developing an integrated understanding of how lateralization emerges and functions across taxa.This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of how asymmetrical brain organization relates to behavior, and how these patterns emerge, are organized, and potentially evolve across species and levels of analysis in both vertebrates and invertebrates. We particularly welcome studies that integrate behavioral, neurobiological, developmental, and comparative approaches, combining methods such as behavioral assessments, neuroimaging, electrophysiology (e.g., EEG), molecular and genetic analyses, and computational modeling. Contributions addressing asymmetries at multiple levels – from sensory processing to higher cognition – and those with, translational or animal welfare relevance are especially encouraged.This Research Topic welcomes interdisciplinary contributions from fields such as neuroscience, ethology, physiology, comparative psychology, and animal welfare science. We invite original research articles, systematic reviews, theoretical and methodological papers, case studies, and perspectives. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: • Hemispheric asymmetries across vertebrate and invertebrate species at structural, functional, and behavioral levels• Lateralization in sensory processing (e.g., visual, auditory, olfactory systems)• Relationships between hemispheric specialization and cognition, including learning, memory, and decision-making• Motor asymmetries and behavioral lateralization (e.g., limb preferences, tail wagging)• Developmental origins of lateralization, including genetic, epigenetic, hormonal, and environmental influences• Evolutionary and ecological perspectives on hemispheric asymmetries• Comparative approaches examining conserved versus species-specific patterns• Methodological advances in assessing lateralization (e.g., behavioral paradigms, neuroimaging, electrophysiology, computational modelling)• Implications of asymmetry for animal welfare, stress responses, and translational research, including relevance to neuropsychiatric conditionsWe particularly encourage integrative, cross-species studies that bridge levels of analysis, from neural mechanisms to behavior. Topic editors: Sevim Isparta, Onur Güntürkün, Nadja Freund, Felix Ströckens Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80018/brain-organization-and-behavioral-asymmetries-from-sensory-processing-to-cognition-across-species