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Mundorf A, Lischke A, Peterburs J, Alexander N, Bonnekoh LM, Brosch K, Flinkenflügel K, Goltermann J, Hahn T, Jansen A, Meinert S, Nenadić I, Schürmeyer NN, Stein F, Straube B, Thiel K, Teutenberg L, Thomas-Odenthal F, Usemann P, Winter A, Dannlowski U, Kircher T, Ocklenburg S. Handedness in schizophrenia and affective disorders: a large-scale cross-disorder study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024:10.1007/s00406-024-01833-9. [PMID: 38914850 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01833-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
While most people are right-handed, a minority are left-handed or mixed-handed. It has been suggested that mental and developmental disorders are associated with increased prevalence of left-handedness and mixed-handedness. However, substantial heterogeneity exists across disorders, indicating that not all disorders are associated with a considerable shift away from right-handedness. Increased frequencies in left- and mixed-handedness have also been associated with more severe clinical symptoms, indicating that symptom severity rather than diagnosis explains the high prevalence of non-right-handedness in mental disorders. To address this issue, the present study investigated the association between handedness and measures of stress reactivity, depression, mania, anxiety, and positive and negative symptoms in a large sample of 994 healthy controls and 1213 patients with DSM IV affective disorders, schizoaffective disorders, or schizophrenia. A series of complementary analyses revealed lower lateralization and a higher percentage of mixed-handedness in patients with major depression (14.9%) and schizophrenia (24.0%) compared to healthy controls (12%). For patients with schizophrenia, higher symptom severity was associated with an increasing tendency towards left-handedness. No associations were found for patients diagnosed with major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizoaffective disorder. In healthy controls, no association between hand preference and symptoms was evident. Taken together, these findings suggest that both diagnosis and symptom severity are relevant for the shift away from right-handedness in mental disorders like schizophrenia and major depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annakarina Mundorf
- ISM Institute of Systems Medicine & Department of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
- Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Alexander Lischke
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- ICPP Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Peterburs
- ISM Institute of Systems Medicine & Department of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nina Alexander
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Linda M Bonnekoh
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina Brosch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- Institute of Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Glen Oaks, USA
| | - Kira Flinkenflügel
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Janik Goltermann
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Tim Hahn
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- Core-Facility Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Meinert
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Igor Nenadić
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Straube
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Katharina Thiel
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Lea Teutenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Florian Thomas-Odenthal
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Paula Usemann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Alexandra Winter
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Odintsova VV, van Dongen J, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Ligthart L, Willemsen G, de Geus EJC, Dolan CV, Boomsma DI. Handedness and 23 Early Life Characteristics in 37,495 Dutch Twins. Twin Res Hum Genet 2023; 26:199-208. [PMID: 37448258 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2023.23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
In studies of singletons, a range of early-life characteristics have been reported to be associated with handedness, but some of these associations have failed to replicate. We examined associations between 23 early life characteristics with handedness in a large sample of 37,495 5-year-old twins. We considered three definitions of handedness: left-handedness (LH), mixed-handedness (MH), and non-right-handedness (NRH). Our main aim was to test whether the associations with sex, birth weight, gestational age, and season of birth - as reported in singletons - replicate in twins, and to examine twin-specific variables, including zygosity, chorionicity, birth order, and intertwin delivery time. Compared to previously published data from adults born as singletons (7.23%), the prevalence of NRH was higher in both twins (16.19%) and their parents (15.09%). In the twins, LH and NRH were associated with parents' LH. Male sex and lower gestational age were associated with NRH, and LH was associated with not being breastfed. MH was related to neurodevelopmental delays and higher externalizing problems later in childhood. Other previously reported associations were not replicated, and no twin-specific characteristics were related to handedness. These results emphasize the importance of considering multiple definitions of handedness and indicate a small number of replicated associations across studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika V Odintsova
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development (AR&D) Research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jenny van Dongen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development (AR&D) Research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Lannie Ligthart
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gonneke Willemsen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eco J C de Geus
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Conor V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development (AR&D) Research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Richards G, Segal NL. Handedness in twins reared apart: A review of the literature and new data. Neuropsychologia 2023; 184:108523. [PMID: 37059260 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Reared-apart twin studies are a powerful means for identifying the relative contributions of heredity and environment to variation in human physical and behavioural traits. One such characteristic is handedness, for which it has long been noted that approximately 20% of twin pairs are comprised of one right-handed cotwin and one left-handed cotwin. Reared-together twin studies suggest a slightly greater concordance in monozygotic (MZT) than dizygotic (DZT) twins, implying that genetics influences hand preference. We report here two studies of handedness in reared-apart twins. Study 1 synthesizes the available data and estimates that at least N = 560 same-sex reared-apart twin pairs (for which zygosity is known with reasonable confidence) have been identified. Of these, handedness data are available for both members of n = 415 pairs. We observed similar levels of concordance/discordance for reared-apart monozygotic (MZA) and dizygotic (DZA) twins. However, although direction of handedness (right or left) has frequently been examined, strength of handedness (strong or weak) has not. Study 2 examined strength of hand preference and relative hand skill, as well as right- and left-hand speed, information available for participants in the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart (MISTRA). We provide evidence of heritability for right-hand and left-hand speed. We also found hand preference strength was more alike than chance in DZA, but not MZA, twins. Findings are discussed in relation to genetic and environmental influences on human handedness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gareth Richards
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE2 4DR, UK.
| | - Nancy L Segal
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA
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Cerebral Polymorphisms for Lateralisation: Modelling the Genetic and Phenotypic Architectures of Multiple Functional Modules. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14040814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent fMRI and fTCD studies have found that functional modules for aspects of language, praxis, and visuo-spatial functioning, while typically left, left and right hemispheric respectively, frequently show atypical lateralisation. Studies with increasing numbers of modules and participants are finding increasing numbers of module combinations, which here are termed cerebral polymorphisms—qualitatively different lateral organisations of cognitive functions. Polymorphisms are more frequent in left-handers than right-handers, but it is far from the case that right-handers all show the lateral organisation of modules described in introductory textbooks. In computational terms, this paper extends the original, monogenic McManus DC (dextral-chance) model of handedness and language dominance to multiple functional modules, and to a polygenic DC model compatible with the molecular genetics of handedness, and with the biology of visceral asymmetries found in primary ciliary dyskinesia. Distributions of cerebral polymorphisms are calculated for families and twins, and consequences and implications of cerebral polymorphisms are explored for explaining aphasia due to cerebral damage, as well as possible talents and deficits arising from atypical inter- and intra-hemispheric modular connections. The model is set in the broader context of the testing of psychological theories, of issues of laterality measurement, of mutation-selection balance, and the evolution of brain and visceral asymmetries.
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Schmitz J, Zheng M, Lui KFH, McBride C, Ho CSH, Paracchini S. Quantitative multidimensional phenotypes improve genetic analysis of laterality traits. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:68. [PMID: 35184143 PMCID: PMC8858319 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01834-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Handedness is the most commonly investigated lateralised phenotype and is usually measured as a binary left/right category. Its links with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders prompted studies aimed at understanding the underlying genetics, while other measures and side preferences have been less studied. We investigated the heritability of hand, as well as foot, and eye preference by assessing parental effects (n ≤ 5028 family trios) and SNP-based heritability (SNP-h2, n ≤ 5931 children) in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). An independent twin cohort from Hong Kong (n = 358) was used to replicate results from structural equation modelling (SEM). Parental left-side preference increased the chance of an individual to be left-sided for the same trait, with stronger maternal than paternal effects for footedness. By regressing out the effects of sex, age, and ancestry, we transformed laterality categories into quantitative measures. The SNP-h2 for quantitative handedness and footedness was 0.21 and 0.23, respectively, which is higher than the SNP-h2 reported in larger genetic studies using binary handedness measures. The heritability of the quantitative measure of handedness increased (0.45) compared to a binary measure for writing hand (0.27) in the Hong Kong twins. Genomic and behavioural SEM identified a shared genetic factor contributing to handedness, footedness, and eyedness, but no independent effects on individual phenotypes. Our analysis demonstrates how quantitative multidimensional laterality phenotypes are better suited to capture the underlying genetics than binary traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Schmitz
- School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland
| | - Mo Zheng
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kelvin F H Lui
- Wofoo Joseph Lee Consulting and Counselling Psychology Research Centre, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Catherine McBride
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Connie S-H Ho
- Psychology Department, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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