Histological asymmetry in the primary visual cortex of the rat: implications for mechanisms of cerebral asymmetry.

The present study was designed to specify the contributions of various histological parameters to hemispheric asymmetry of architectonic areas. It was found that the primary visual cortex of the rat is asymmetrical in volume, and that the asymmetry reflects side differences in the number of neurons. The implications of this finding for the understanding of mechanisms involved in the production of brain asymmetries are discussed.