Structural and functional differences between the two cerebral hemispheres constitute one of the most fundamental aspects of brain organization. It is well established that functions related to language and motor behaviors are more strongly represented in the left hemisphere. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impairments particularly in social communication, language, and a variety of motor-related symptoms, alongside intact or enhanced right hemisphere functions. This pattern of deficits and strengths has given rise to theories, suggesting that the neuropathology of ASD involves atypical hemispheric specialization. Here, we review the literature on atypical hemispheric specialization in the motor domain, which is an understudied field, but one that bears great potential for finding meaningful subgroups within the heterogeneous autism spectrum. It appears that atypical motor lateralization constitutes a candidate neural phenotype of ASD, in being a stable measure across structure, function, and behavior.
Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Diffusion tractography; Functional MRI; Functional lateralization; Hemispheric lateralization; Left hemisphere dysfunction; Motor deficits; Structural asymmetries.
© 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.