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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by linkadge on November 13, 2007, at 16:13:38
Is there any relationship? I have often wondered if being left handed, I tend to use the left prefronal cortex less?
I read some study on high incidence of alchoholism in left handed?
Anyone know of any other research?
Poll: Who here is left handed?
Linkadge
Posted by Phillipa on November 13, 2007, at 19:10:13
In reply to Mental illness and handedness (?), posted by linkadge on November 13, 2007, at 16:13:38
Link husband right handed and was diagnosed alchoholic but quit drinking. Me not alchoholic but liked to drink in the past and am Right handed too. Phillipa
Posted by torachan on November 13, 2007, at 19:32:55
In reply to Mental illness and handedness (?), posted by linkadge on November 13, 2007, at 16:13:38
I'm left handed for writing--language processing, right handed when throwing a ball and swinging a club--motor coordination.
As I understand it, each hemisphere of the brain is responsible for the opposing side of the body in motor functioning and sensory/perceptual processing. This doesn't hold true for language processing however as it's largely restricted to the left hemisphere; the exception to this is that left handed writers such as myself has a greater likelihood of this function taking place in the right hemisphere.I don't how this all relates to the frontal cortex, however. I think most mental illness originates in the hippocampal/limbic region of the brain which disrupts functioning in the outer regions such as the frontal cortex used for higher cognition.
As I said, writing involves mainly the language processing region largely contained in the parietal and rear frontal lobe.
Posted by linkadge on November 13, 2007, at 19:48:59
In reply to Re: Mental illness and handedness (?), posted by torachan on November 13, 2007, at 19:32:55
Thats sort of what I was wondering. If left handers tend to use the left hemisphere less, then is it possible that left prefrontal cortex gets used less. Or is activation of the left prefrontal cortex not associated with good mood in left handers?
Linkadge
Posted by War-Face on November 13, 2007, at 20:09:10
In reply to Re: Mental illness and handedness (?), posted by linkadge on November 13, 2007, at 19:48:59
Lol, my subject heading is so Orwellian.
Can we consider a sliding scale of hand-dominance? I think I prefer my right hand over my left by about 80/20 in all activities, (i.e., my left is still capable).
Interestingly, my left eye is about 70 % dominant over my right eye. Is the dominant eye also a factor in which side of the brain processes visual data? Here's an interesting tidbit on "ocular dominance" with a mention of its relation to handedness and slight mention of effects on the brain.
Posted by torachan on November 13, 2007, at 20:35:51
In reply to Re: The dominant hand and the dominant eye, posted by War-Face on November 13, 2007, at 20:09:10
If you cover your dominant left eye, your left occipital lobe will do the processing due to the right eye's activity. But since the vast majority of your visual perception occurs with both eyes, I'd assume your right occipital lobe is activated 70% of the time on account of the "dominant eye theory."
First time I've heard of this phenomenon.
Posted by Racer on November 14, 2007, at 0:32:57
In reply to Re: The dominant hand and the dominant eye, posted by torachan on November 13, 2007, at 20:35:51
One sort rewires the brain in a funny way, and the other sort is a mirror image brain pattern. (That's a very simple explanation, so please don't jump on me. I can't take that just now.)
Anyway, there are a lot of theories about lefthandedness leading to all sorts of things, good and bad. A fair number of those things are practical -- raise your hand if you can use a spiral notebook comfortably? AHA! Betcha you're right handed! Some statistics about life expectancy are just plain wrong -- because so many people were forced to use their right hands, even though they were left handed.
And then there are the mixed/crossed dominants, or those who had to change hands because of injury. I can't do nearly as much with my left hand after a wrist injury, so virtually never write with my left hand anymore. (You can bet my handwriting stinks...) On the other hand, I always did certain things with my right hand -- scissors come to mind, and teethbrushing. Oh, and shooting baskets, although I do play tennis lefthanded. (Except that my wrist can't do it anywmore) About the only thing I really can't seem to do with my right hand at this point is eat -- cannot, for love or money, hold fork or spoon in my right hand.
Sorry. Tangent. Interesting subject to me, though.
Posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 11:09:46
In reply to There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by Racer on November 14, 2007, at 0:32:57
Linkadge, I am lefthanded. rk
Posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 11:18:56
In reply to There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by Racer on November 14, 2007, at 0:32:57
Racer, is that because society force you to use the scissors in your right hand versus left.. As a teacher, we are now told to not teach left handed students unless we are left handed and right hand teachers should teach right handed students. If you are taught to use scissors by a right handed person would not that mean you will learn to use them that way. Scissors are made for left and right hands too. Irons are made handed too. There are many skills that are different depending on your handedness. I have skills that were affected due to my right handed parents trying to teach me skills that were due to theml being right handed and they messed me up. At Vanderbilt were I rec my teaching degree they were studying those students having issues reading and found evidence that some who were college students having reading problems might have been forced to be right handed and were in fact meant to be left handed and it affected the way they processed words on the written page. We had one girl in one of my eduction classes that had to tape all lectures because she had this issue. I have heard many theories about handness. INteresting topic for sure. I always had problems with desks in school and college. Not meant for left handed person. LOL Again an interesting topic.
Posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 13:42:58
In reply to Re: There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 11:18:56
I know some left handed people who have a remarkably similar personality to mine.
I have heard sterotypes about left handers that I seem to fit me. iemessy, somewhat creative, antisocial, prone to using drugs to escape, strange sense of humour, etc.
(I know, I don't know how much credability those studies have)
I have wondered if brain organization differences might account for either mood disorders, or varying responces to drugs. Left handers are susposedly overrepresented in the epileptic population for instance.
For those left handers who have differential distrbution of language, I wonder if emotion is regulated in different parts of the brain too.
Don't know where I am going with this thread, I guess I was just wondering if there was any credability to theories of lefthandedness and mental illness, personality disorders, alchoholism etc.
I wonder, for instance, if there would be any difference in responce to drugs between right and left handers, as there seems to be between men and women?
Linkadge
Posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 13:56:37
In reply to Re: There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 13:42:58
Linkadge, that is interesting the meds part. I know for me meds and I have always had issues. I have fought with migraines (new developments but that is another thread) and the meds I have been on have never worked the way they are suppose to. I usually react to meds differently. When I needed an injection for my elbow, tennis elbow, I woke up on the ground and the doctor saying he had never had a patient react that way. So maybe you have a point. I wonder if anyone ever thought to study it based on handedness. I have a strange issue going on now but as usual I may or may not bring it up to the neuro. And it is the brain that is probably responsible for it since it is a loss of conconsiousness for a few minutes. Now mind you I have been doing this for years and the meds are not helping but this was different. Again meds dont work the way they are suppose to---so maybe you have a point. I would say I am not messy though due to my mother not tolerating it, I am somewhat creative, very antisocial on my own, I have my own escapes that makes drugs not nescessary and a warped sense of humor that I hide and then the more socially accepted onoe. I have over the years seemed drawn to people than later i found out were lefthanded. Both of my parents have/had mental illness but both were/are right handed. (only one is alive) Credability or not it is interesting. rk
Posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 14:01:04
In reply to Re: There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 13:56:37
Here's a study for instance:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/07/31/lefthanded.html
Linkadge
Posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 14:59:10
In reply to Re: There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 14:01:04
Linkadge, I read that one and the link for hand to eye coordination at the corner left. Both are very interesting. I do think I use both sides readily as I am good at things some of which are right-brain and some are left-brain. How about you?
Have you done the left brain right brain test, I saw it both ways. It takes more effect to see it left brain than right brain but I did see it both ways. I thought because I was having some emotional issues now maybe I was thinking more right brain.
Do you have any more studies? This is fascinating. rk
Posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 15:22:47
In reply to Re: There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 14:59:10
Don't have any more studies off hand, but a engine search for mental illness + left handedness brought up stuff.
Linkadge
Posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 17:08:39
In reply to Re: There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 15:22:47
>brains often differ from righties’ in the location of controls for speech and emotions, scientists say
http://www.newser.com/story/5038.html?refid=YTF_S
So if its possible that emotional control is located in different areas of the brain, then perhaps it might respond differently to medications that affect certain brain regions?
Linkadge
Posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 17:48:48
In reply to Re: There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 17:08:39
Linkadge, did you read this one:
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/158197.php/Converting-left-hander-to-right-hander-also-changes-the-brain. I don't know how to make it a hyperlink with my new mac. sorry.
You know I didn't realize that they were saying that lefties brains have the emotions in a different region too from righties. Then that would make those brain tests not so accurate maybe. Maybe handedness is more related to with side of your brain is the active side. I always thought that. What do you think?
rk
Posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 18:13:09
In reply to Re: There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 17:48:48
Hey Linkadge, I thought this was interesting:
Left-handedness common in Ice AgeBy Dr David Whitehouse
BBC News Online science editor
The fraction of left-handed people today is about the same as it was during the Ice Age, according to data from prehistoric handprints.They were found in caves painted during the Upper Palaeolithic period, between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago.
Left-handedness may have conferred prehistoric man advantages, such as in combat, say the researchers.
The research is published in the February issue of the journal Biology Letters.
Evolutionary advantages
When Stone Age man produced their remarkable cave paintings they often left handprints on the walls produced by blowing pigments from one hand through a tube held by the other hand.
Charlotte Faurie and Michel Raymond at the University of Montpellier, France, deduced the prehistoric cave painters' handedness by spraying paint against cave walls to see which hand they pressed against the wall, and therefore did not use for drawing.
Looking at 507 handprints from 26 caves in France and Spain, they deduced that 23% of them were right-handed, which indicated that they were made by left-handers.
In the general population today about 12% are left-handed, though populations vary considerably, between 3 and 30%.
Because handedness has a genetic component the researchers wondered why the proportion of left-handers should have remained so constant over 30,000 years - the age of the oldest cave studied.
They suggest that because left-handedness is relatively rare it provides certain advantages over those who are right-handed, such as in solo and group fighting.
The researchers say their findings add to the evidence that the evolutionary forces that cause right- and left-handedness are independent of culture.
Interesting huh? Once lefties were common now rare: I found alot more articles. rk
Posted by Phillipa on November 14, 2007, at 18:40:25
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age...., posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 18:13:09
So if I'm not left handed and right handed I don't have mental illness? Phillipa
Posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 19:28:41
In reply to Re: There are two kinds of lefthandedness, posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 17:48:48
Its interesting that the study seemed to suggest that while the converted patients had some changes they could still be identified as being left handed.
Linkadge
Posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 19:30:12
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age...., posted by Phillipa on November 14, 2007, at 18:40:25
no Phillipa, the studies are just saying that the gene they found is linked to some mental illness or predisposition to them and it is found to be the same gene as lefthandedness. So you might conclude that lefthandedness might mean you are more predisposed to mental illness however the studies all concluded that isn't true. They knew little about this gene that influences lefthandness. Mental illness affects all and this is just a step closer to finding something out about it but it is way too early to tell what exactly this information means. If you follow Linkadge's link in the previous posts you can read the study's results firsthand they are just interesting but not real definitive. I went on to look up more just because I found it interesting. Just another study to try and find out parts to a large puzzle. rk
Posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 19:30:20
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age...., posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 18:13:09
>Looking at 507 handprints from 26 caves in >France and Spain, they deduced that 23% of them >were right-handed, which indicated that they .were made by left-handers.
But, perhaps the left handed ones were more likely to be paining.
Linkadge
Posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 19:31:40
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age...., posted by Phillipa on November 14, 2007, at 18:40:25
No, thats not what we're saying. I'm only wondering if mental illness occurs differently in left handed persons.
Linkadge
Posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 19:34:47
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age.... » rskontos, posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 19:30:20
Yeah, and then you can wonder why now are lefties less common. Could be evolution. I had always wondered if handness was dominant or recessive genes. Guess not. rsk
Posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 19:36:18
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age.... » Phillipa, posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 19:31:40
Phillipa, my mother and father are both mentally ill and both are right handed. So that definitely isn't what we are saying. rk
Posted by Phillipa on November 14, 2007, at 19:43:12
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age.... » Phillipa, posted by linkadge on November 14, 2007, at 19:31:40
Link how does it occurr differently? I've read the enclosed links but don't get it. Scizophrenia is mentioned twice. Phillipa
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