Evidence for the pathological right-handedness hypothesis

Neuropsychology. 2001 Oct;15(4):510-5. doi: 10.1037//0894-4105.15.4.510.

Abstract

The present study investigated handedness of 109 Korean patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and 120 normal control participants. Left TLE was associated with a significantly raised incidence of left-handers relative to normal controls. More important for the present purpose, right TLE was associated with a significantly raised incidence of strong right-handers relative to normal controls. This finding indicates that certain early damage to the right brain causes a mild hypofunction of the left hand in natural weak right-handers, which in turn causes the patient to switch to strong right-handedness. To the authors' knowledge, this finding provides the 1st empirical evidence supporting the pathological right-handedness hypothesis. Prior failure to find evidence of pathological right-handedness may reflect the low base rate of natural left-handers rather than true absence of pathological right-handers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attention / physiology
  • Brain Damage, Chronic / physiopathology
  • Brain Damage, Chronic / psychology
  • Dominance, Cerebral / physiology
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / physiopathology
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / psychology*
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality* / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Temporal Lobe / physiopathology