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Abstract
Four cerebellar subregions were delineated (left, right; anterior, posterior), and
their volumes measured on contiguous 3.1 mm coronal MR images in 15 dextral and 8
nondextral healthy control subjects. (1) Left and right cerebellar hemisphere volume
asymmetries interacted with anterior-posterior level (anterior: right > left; posterior:
left > right), following a pattern commonly found in the neocortex; (2) A significant
handedness effect was found (P < or =0.01) on a composite index of cerebellar asymmetry,
such that dextrals showed more asymmetry than nondextrals. These data suggest that
the same pattern of asymmetries observed at the neocortical level is also present
in the metencephalon. These asymmetries, possibly resulting from multiple developmental
growth gradients acting on the metencephalon early in gestation, are associated with
handedness differences in adulthood.