Left-handed People Could Be At Higher Risk For Some Neurological Disorders: Study

Left-handedness and certain neurological disorders could spell hand-in-hand, a caller study revealed, though nan researchers and others acknowledged imaginable limitations. 

While astir 10% of group successful nan world are left-handed, people pinch autism are 3.5 times much apt to person nan trait, according to an world squad of researchers that analyzed information from complete 200,000 individuals.

The study, published successful nan diary Psychological Bulletin, indicated that left- and mixed-handedness besides look much often successful group who person diagnoses specified arsenic schizophrenia, autism and intelligence disability.

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Mixed-handedness refers to a business successful which group whitethorn usage their near manus for a definite task and their correct manus for others, according to psychology experts. 

This is somewhat different from ambidexterity, which is nan adjacent usage of some hands. 

The study showed that left- and mixed-handedness look much often successful group who person definite diagnoses for illustration schizophrenia, autism and intelligence disability. (iStock)

"The cardinal takeaways of this study are that alterations successful manus penchant from nan norm (i.e., right-handedness) are associated particularly pinch psychiatric and psychological conditions that impact nan connection strategy (e.g., dyslexia aliases schizophrenia) aliases impact neurodevelopment done an early property of onset (e.g., autism or ADHD)," lead writer Dr. Julian Packheiser told Fox News Digital.

He is simply a interrogator astatine nan Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience astatine Ruhr University Bochum successful Germany.

"Correlation doesn’t connote causation — and being left-handed does not mean personification will create autism aliases schizophrenia."

Not each neurological conditions showed a nexus to people's ascendant hand.

Depression and dyscalculia (a mathematics learning disability), for example, showed nary meaningful quality successful manus penchant compared to power groups, nan study found.

Language factor

The researchers besides wished that "atypical handedness" whitethorn beryllium associated pinch semipermanent linguistic symptoms for illustration stuttering and dyslexia.

"In astir people, nan dominant side of their brain is typically wherever speech, language, logical thought processing and manus penchant is located," Dr. Earnest Lee Murray, a neurologist pinch West Tennessee Medical Group, told Fox News Digital. 

He was not progressive pinch nan caller study. 

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"People who are left-handed aliases ambidextrous often don’t person specified a ascendant one-sided encephalon — rather, nan cardinal portions of connection tin beryllium divided betwixt some sides," Murray besides said. 

The study besides examined nan likelihood of atypical handedness successful objective populations, aliases groups of group diagnosed pinch a circumstantial group of health conditions compared to a power population. 

It appears that nan earlier a disorder's symptoms emerged, nan much often researchers saw cases of left- and mixed-handedness. (iStock)

"We suspected that left- and mixed-handedness could beryllium associated pinch disorders whose symptoms are related to language," said Packheiser successful a property merchandise astir nan study.

"Language, for illustration handedness, has a very one-sided location successful nan brain, truthful it stands to logic that nan improvement of some and their disorders could beryllium linked."

Timing is key

The researchers besides considered different factors that could travel into play, specified arsenic nan property astatine which a personification mightiness grounds symptoms.

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It appears that nan earlier a disorder’s symptoms emerged, nan much often researchers saw cases of left- and mixed-handedness.

The researchers hypothesized that left- and mixed-handedness could beryllium associated pinch diseases that hap very early successful life, because nan ascendant manus is wished astatine a very early property – perchance even before birth.

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In nan womb, thumb-sucking astatine 10 weeks' gestation is heavy linked to which manus will beryllium preferred later successful life, they noted.

The relationship could thief experts perchance understand nan measurement brains are organized and really they develop.

The caller study comes pinch imaginable limitations. Not each neurological conditions show a nexus to nan person’s ascendant hand, according to experts. (iStock)

"The study has implications erstwhile knowing ways of finetuning nan neurorehabilitation of patients pinch one-sided encephalon conditions, specified arsenic stroke, multiple sclerosis aliases traumatic encephalon injury," Murray said.

Potential limitations

Jonathan Alpert, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist and author, said nan study was "interesting," though he emphasized its limitations.

"Correlation doesn’t connote causation — and being left-handed does not mean personification will create autism aliases schizophrenia," Alpert, who was not progressive successful nan study, told Fox News Digital. 

"Handedness is conscionable 1 of galore factors that tin beryllium associated pinch neurological traits, and these findings should beryllium interpreted pinch be aware to debar unnecessary siren aliases stigma."

Depression showed nary meaningful quality successful manus penchant compared to power groups, nan study found. (iStock)

Alpert called for much investigation to understand nan relationship, if any, betwixt handedness and intelligence health.

Lead writer Packheiser agreed nan results are "purely correlational."

"We person nary causal grounds that processing a psychiatric upset linked to language aliases neurodevelopment causes a alteration successful handedness, aliases whether changes successful handedness origin immoderate disorder," he told Fox News Digital. 

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"Individuals from nan wide nationalist should truthful ne'er beryllium alarmed if their kid prefers to usage nan near hand," nan interrogator said.

"But fixed nan emergence of mental disorders successful nan population, it is important to amended understand them."