We used a manifold reaching paradigm, in two experiments, to evaluate the lateralization of motor control of arm movements. In the first experiment, we compared the kinematics of reaching movements in a manifold reaching paradigm towards a vertical bar performed with the right and left arm. Capture of kinematic data was performed with a Microsoft Kinect camera while the participants remained seated during the task. In a second experiment, participants estimated the endpoint of a third-person’s arm trajectory performing the same reaching task, but with last one-third of the movement trajectory occluded. This study included 14 individuals of both sexes with a mean age of 24.6 ± 3.9 years. The results corroborate the theory of hemispheric specialization of control of upper limb movements, with the left hemisphere being associated with precision movements and the right hemisphere with supporting movements and being more sensitive to the influence of gravity. Importantly, this difference is also reflected in the mental simulation of arm movement.
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