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PubMed1990

Asymmetrical movement overflow in children depends on handedness and task characteristics.

Unintentional movement overflow between the hands was examined in 176 right-handed children in grades 2, 4, and 6. A significant multivariate hand difference was observed for contralateral but not for ipsilateral overflow during rapid repetitive movements and discrete finger placement tasks. Individual ANOVAs revealed greater overflow from left to right hands during forearm pronation/supination (a rapid repetitive task) but the reverse during finger-displacement tasks. Hand differences in contralateral overflow were also observed in 19 left-handed children, with greater overflow from right to left hands observed for two tasks. These data support previous reports of asymmetrical overflow, but suggest that the presence and direction of the phenomenon depends on the nature of the intended movement and on handedness.

Child↗

PubMed1992

Factorial structure of the Waterloo Handedness Questionnaire for control and learning-disabled adults.

This study examined the factorial structure of the 32-item version of the Waterloo Handedness Questionnaire (Steenhuis & Bryden, 1989) with a sample of control (n = 325) and learning-disabled (LD) (n = 147) subjects. On the basis of Principal Components Analyses, we have replicated the work of Steenhuis and Bryden (1989) who suggested that hand preference factors for control subjects are multifactorial in nature and are related more to "skilled" and "less skilled" activities rather than on distal/proximal musculature. Further, we have found that the factor structure for hand preference in LD adults is somewhat different than of normally achieving adults. The primary difference occurred within Factor 2. Unlike control subjects, whose Factor 2 items were classified as "less skilled" and preference was less lateralized, items loading on this factor for LD subjects were classified as "skilled" and showed strongly lateralized responses for both left and right handers. Presumably, LD adults show a less marked distinction between "skilled" and "less skilled" unimanual motor activities than control subjects suggesting different degrees of manual laterality between the groups.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Determination of handedness of DNA double helices from NOE difference spectra: the structure of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) in low salt.

Combined use of shielding constant computations, measurements of chemical shifts and NOE studies reveal that poly(dG-dC).(poly)dG-dC) in low salt solutions exist as a right-handed B-DNA double helix described by Gupta, Dhingra, Sarma, Sarma, Rajagopalan and Sasisekharan, J. Biomole. Str. Dyn. 1. 395, 1983. We present a simple and direct method to determine the handedness of DNA double helices from NOE difference spectra. This method takes advantage of the NOE between base protons and the H2'H2" sugar protons; and in the difference NOE spectra in the H2'H2" region the signatures of the right and left-handed helices become imprinted.

DNA↗

PubMed1987

On the use of chiral compounds for probing the DNA handedness: Z to B conversion in poly(dGm5dC) upon binding of Fe(phen)3(2+) and Ru(phen)3(2+).

In order to examine whether chiral metal complexes can be used to discriminate between right- and left-handed DNA conformational states we have studied the enantioselective interactions of Fe(phen)3(2+) and Ru(phen)3(2+) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) with poly(dGm5dC) under B- and Z-form conditions. With the inversion-labile Fe(phen)3(2+), enantioselectivity leads to shifts in the diastereomeric binding equilibria. This effect, known as the "Pfeiffer effect" (1-4), is monitored as slowly emerging circular dichroism of the solution, corresponding to a net excess of the favoured enantiomer. With Ru(phen)3(2+), which is stable to intramolecular inversion, the difference in DNA-binding strengths of the enantiomers results in an excess of the less favoured enantiomer in the bulk solution. This excess is detected in the dialysate of the DNA/metal complex solution. With both complexes we find that the delta-enantiomer is favoured when the polynucleotide adopts the B-form, as previously shown, but also when it initially adopts the Z-form conformational state. This observation, together with evidence from UV-circular dichroism and binding data, indicates that the binding of these metal complexes induces a Z- to B-form transition in Z-form poly(dGm5dC). Consequently, neither of the studied chiral DNA-binders can easily be used to discriminate the DNA handedness.

Cations, Divalent↗

PubMed2004

The influence of a chiral amino acid on the helical handedness of PNA in solution and in crystals.

The X-ray structure of a self-complementary PNA hexamer (H-CGTACG-L-Lys-NH(2)) has been determined to 2.35 A resolution. The introduction of an L-lysine moiety has previously been shown to induce a preferred left-handedness of the PNA double helices in aqueous solution. However, in the crystal structure an equal amount of interchanging right- and left-handed helices is observed. The lysine moieties are pointing into large solvent channels and no significant interactions between this moiety and the remaining PNA molecule are observed. In contrast, molecular mechanics calculations show a preference for the left-handed helix of this hexameric PNA in aqueous solution as expected. The calculations indicate that the difference in the free energy of solvation between the left-handed and the right-handed helix is the determining factor for the preference of the left-handed helix in aqueous solution.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed2004

Mixed- versus strong right-handedness is associated with biases towards "remember" versus "know" judgements in recognition memory: role of interhemispheric interaction.

Growing evidence supports the hypothesis that episodic versus semantic memories rely primarily on interhemispheric versus intrahemispheric processing, respectively. For example, a recent study found that individuals with presumed greater interhemispheric interaction were superior in episodic recall but inferior at semantic word fragment completion; however, tests of recognition memory yielded no group differences. Interestingly, recognition memory can be based on either explicitly remembering a stimulus or implicitly knowing that a stimulus had been presented. The current experiments administered recognition memory tests to strongly versus mixed handed participants who judged for each recognised item whether their response was based on remembering (episodic memory) or knowing (semantic memory) (Tulving, 1983). Results indicate that strong versus mixed handers are biased towards basing recognition responses on judgements of knowing versus remembering, respectively. As strong versus mixed handedness is associated with greater versus lesser interhemispheric processing, the results support the original hypothesis.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2004

Handedness shift as a consequence of motor cortex reorganization after early functional impairment in left temporal lobe epilepsy--an fMRI case report.

The impact of epileptiform activity on the functional organization of various cortical regions is currently a widely discussed topic. Our patient, suffering from left-sided temporal lobe epilepsy with typical mesiotemporal sclerosis, had a remarkable history of a clear-cut handedness shift in early childhood. In this study, we considered the possibility of the functional reorganization of the motor cortex using functional MRI. The results reflect epileptiform activity as an important formative factor for motor cortex development in our patient.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Handedness is associated with immune functioning and behavioural reactivity in rhesus macaques.

In the present study we examined the relationship among handedness, immune functioning, and behavioural reactivity in rhesus macaques. We used the absolute number of CD4+ (T-helper) and CD8+ (T-suppressor) cells as dependent measures of immune functioning. We derived reactivity profiles from behavioural responses to a threat, and hand preference profiles from a quadrupedal food-reaching test. The results indicate positive correlations between the frequency of right versus left hand reaches and the absolute number of CD4+ cells, and between the frequency of right versus left hand reaches and the degree of human-directed aggression in response to an invasive threat. Immune measures were not associated with the strength of hand preference. These results are consistent with and extend previous findings obtained with rodents to nonhuman primates and provide further support for the view that behavioural lateralisation is associated with immune functioning and behavioural reactivity.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Pause before you respond: handedness influences response style on the Tower of Hanoi task.

Comparative laterality research has indicated that marmoset monkeys with a righthand preference take less time to respond to novel objects within a novel environment (Cameron & Rogers, 1999). This suggests that right hemisphere dominance may be associated with a more cautious cognitive style in novel situations. The present study tested this hypothesis using right- and left-handed human participants to complete a three-disk Tower of Hanoi (TOH) task. It was hypothesised that left-handers would be slower to initiate responding. A total of 84 participants (42 left-handers, 42 right-handers) took part and the time taken to make the first move, completion time, and the number of moves taken to complete the task were recorded. Analysis of Variance revealed a significant main effect of handedness, with left-handers taking longer to move the first disk and significantly fewer moves to complete the task. However, left-handers were not significantly faster at completing the TOH, although males completed the task more quickly than females. These initial findings support the hypothesis that left-hand dominance is associated with a more cautious cognitive style in novel problem-solving situations.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Do the French and the English differ for hand skill asymmetry? Handedness subgroups in the sample of Doyen and Carlier (2002) and in English schools and universities.

Doyen and Carlier (2002) reported peg-moving performance in a sample of French adults classified in the hand preference subgroups of Annett (1970, 1985). The findings were said to differ from those for English samples. This paper describes new analyses of English data, drawn from schools and universities. Comparison of the school and university samples showed that relationships between hand skill asymmetry and subgroup handedness were reliable, but also revealed a new finding. Asymmetries were stronger in the school than university samples at all levels of hand preference. The French findings resembled those for the English university sample for all measures and for all subgroups except right-handed writers with strong left tendencies. The performance of the latter in the French sample was like that of left-handers rather than right-handers. An explanation might be that some members of this group were left-handers who had been forced to use the right hand for writing.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Interhemispheric interaction and beliefs on our origin: degree of handedness predicts beliefs in creationism versus evolution.

It has been suggested that strongly handed individuals have attenuated systems for updating beliefs compared to mixed handers (Niebauer, Aselage, & Schutte, 2002). The current research extended this theory to individual differences in updating beliefs concerning our origins. Although the theory of evolution has gained overwhelming success in the sciences, a significant percentage of the population believes in biblical creationist accounts of human origins that are inconsistent with accepted, contemporary scientific views. If strongly handed individuals possess attenuated systems for updating beliefs, they might be more likely to believe in creationism. In two studies, strongly handed participants were more likely to believe in creationism while mixed-handed participants were more likely to believe in evolution. A model of how interhemispheric interaction functions in maintaining and updating beliefs is discussed. Specifically, mixed-handedness seems to be associated with a lower threshold for updating beliefs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Nostril dominance: differences in nasal airflow and preferred handedness.

Because there appears to be a general propensity among many people to have a consistency in the sidedness of their lateral preferences, the purpose of the present study was to determine if this consistency extends to the airflow through the individual nostrils as well. To test for this, hot wire anemometers measured the airflow in each nostril at 15-minute intervals for 6 continuous hours in 11 right-handed and 9 left-handed adult males. Participants also provided self-reports of which nostril appeared to have the greater airflow. The airflow measurements supported the hypothesis of a handedness by nostril interaction, in that left-handers more often experienced greater airflow in their left nostrils whereas right-handers showed the opposite pattern. Self-reports were not an especially reliable measure of nasal patency. In most subjects the same nostril was not always the more open one. This left/right shifting of the more patent nostril is termed the nasal cycle. This study also provides the first data comparing the nasal cycle patterns of left-handers and right-handers.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Discontinuity in the fall of left-handedness in a French population: a May '68 effect?

The fall in the prevalence of left-handedness with age has been attributed to the effect of forced dextrality on handwriting. The purpose of this study was to assess handwriting preference in a cohort of children and adult participants in order to study the correlation between age and incidence of sinistrality. A strong preference for right handwriting across all ages with a decrease in sinistrality with age (18% in those under 20 versus 3% in those over 60) was observed. This phenomenon was not continuous, and a dramatic drop at age 30-40 years might be attributed to changes in educational management during the 1960s, especially after the events of May 1968 in France.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

The distribution of handedness in chimpanzees: estimating right shift in Hopkins' sample.

The right shift (RS) theory of handedness and cerebral dominance suggests that hand preference depends on an underlying continuous normal distribution of asymmetry for hand skill. The distribution in humans is displaced towards the right, in comparison with the unbiased distribution expected for most nonhuman species. Reports that chimpanzees are more often right- than left-handed raise the question whether they also have a distribution of asymmetry shifted to the right. This paper shows how to estimate extent of RS from classifications of hand preference as left, mixed, and right. Whereas the human distribution is shifted by about 1.0 z, that of chimpanzees in the sample of Hopkins, Cantalupo, Freeman, Russell, Kachin, and Nelson (2005) is shifted by about 0.32 z.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Handedness as a major determinant of functional cradling bias.

Cradling is an interactive activity, involving a manual component that is very often an integral part of cradling. Cradling, while doing something else with the free hand, is referred to here as functional cradling. This study examined the relationship between a person's handedness and what arm he or she prefers to use when functionally cradling a baby doll that resembles a newborn infant. A total of 765 participants took part in the experiment, 403 women and 362 men, between the ages of 4 and 86 years. Left- and mixed-handers were actively recruited. The sample consisted of 64.3% right-handed, 24.7% mixed-handed, and 11.0% left-handed participants. The results showed a clear tendency for participants to cradle in their non-dominant arm (p < .001). Furthermore, this tendency increased with age and it was present in both sexes, although significantly stronger in women than in men. On the other hand, experience with young children through younger siblings and/or being a parent did not increase the likelihood to cradle in the non-dominant arm. It is concluded that humans have a clear functional cradling preference for the non-dominant arm because this enables the dominant arm to engage in other tasks. This might also explain why previous studies have reported a universal left cradling bias because a right-handed majority (intuitively) keeps the dominant hand free when cradling.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Kissing laterality and handedness.

Kissing behaviour was observed between kissing couples: about 80% turned their heads to the right to kiss. To remove the influence of one kissing partner upon the other, kissing behaviour was also observed between participants and a symmetrical doll's face: about 77% turned their heads to the right to kiss. There was no significant difference in handedness between right- and left-kissers: both groups were predominantly right-kissers. It is thought that motor bias rather than emotive bias influences kissing behaviour.

Brain↗

PubMed1996

Handedness as a predictor of increased risk of knee, elbow, or shoulder injury, fractures and broken bones.

Several recent studies suggest that left-handers have higher susceptibility to accidental injury. Two studies investigated the suggested link between sinistrality and accidental injury by assessing the prevalence of joint problems, bone breaks, and fractures, which may be the sequelae of such mishaps. Study 1 used retrospective responses on medical history checklists completed by 1064 males on active duty with the United States Air Force. It found that left-handers were at significantly higher risk for knee problems (RR = 2.74), elbow and shoulder problems (RR = 3.03), and also swollen and painful joints (RR = 1.87), although there was no difference in the incidence of broken bones. Study 2 used an expanded handedness scale and retrospective reports of both bone breaks and fractures in a predominantly university sample of 1716 (975 women, 741 men) with median age of 20 years, and demonstrated that non-right-handers were at greater risk for bone breaks and fractures (RR = 1.24). As joint problems, as well as bone breaks and fractures, are often the aftermath of accidents that result in falls or collisions with unyielding objects, the fact that left-handers are more likely to suffer from these problems is consistent with the suggestion that sinistrals are more susceptible to accident-related injuries.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1998

Handedness as a marker for drug hypersensitivity.

Several causal observations and a few recent studies suggest that left-handers may have greater reactivity to various drugs. A sample of 747 adults was surveyed to determine if they had had signs of hypersensitivity to commonly prescribed pharmaceutical drugs. Left-handers were significantly more likely to experience constipation, dizziness, and skin rashes, and were nearly three times more likely to experience other, miscellaneous, negative drug reactions. In addition left-handers were nearly twice as likely to have experienced situations where their physician felt it necessary to reduce drug dosages because of unwanted side-effects of medication. A second experiment using 840 adults indicated that a potential confound that would result if left-handers simply used more medical drugs in general, which would then give them more occasions on which reactions could occur, does not explain these results. Mechanisms that might account for these differences in drug sensitivity include differences in brain morphology, birth stress related neuropathy, and differences in immune system responses, all of which have been found to differ as a function of handedness.

Journal Article↗