Cortical information transfer reveals conserved hemispherical network dynamics across human handedness

Abstract

Whether human motor and brain lateralization arises from fundamentally distinct neural architectures or emerges from conserved network dynamics remains a central question at the intersection of network science and neurobiology. Conventional measures of cortical activation often fail to resolve how directed information exchange adapts to manual preference during complex motor tasks. This ambiguity leaves it unclear whether left-handed individuals possess atypical neural organization or follow shared dynamical principles. Here, we combine Permutation Transfer Entropy (PTE) with network-based indices to map directed cortical signal flow using electroencephalography (EEG) during high-precision motor execution (handwriting) in both right- and left-handed individuals. We demonstrate that cortical communication is strictly scale-dependent regardless of handedness: ipsilateral dominance occurs primarily in general, network-wide interactions, whereas inter-hemispheric interactions maintain a contralateral profile. Crucially, left-handed individuals exhibit inter-hemispheric information dynamics that are functionally equivalent to right-handers when executing tasks with the same anatomical hand, refuting assumptions of mirrored or atypical lateralization. By demonstrating that human cortical lateralization relies on dynamical principles conserved across manual preferences, these findings suggest that functional asymmetries reflect adaptive optimizations governed by epigenetic or social flexibility, rather than fixed structural divergences.