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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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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
Posted by Phillipa on November 14, 2007, at 19:44:26
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age...., posted by rskontos on November 14, 2007, at 19:36:18
Rk I'm stupid cause I don't get it?????Phillipa
Posted by rskontos on November 15, 2007, at 11:42:33
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age.... » rskontos, posted by Phillipa on November 14, 2007, at 19:44:26
No Phillipa you aren't at all. All it is saying is the gene for lefties, The gene, LRRTM1, is the same gene they have found for psychotic mental illness too. So in theory you could say that if you are a left handed you might also have mental illness. But at the end of the article they said that isn't always the case. It is like saying as nurse you will get this....if you are exposed say to the cold virus do you always catch the virus no. Don't they say that all of us have the cancer virus in us. And it turns on in some but not all. So it is probably what this information means. The gene, LRRTM1, seems to be responsible for lefthandedness and mental illness but what they have in common is not known now. It is too early to suppose or predict what it means.
They have tons of more research to do first. That is all. It is just an interesting topic. Doesn't really mean alot yet. Dont worry Phillipa you are not stupid. rk
Posted by Phillipa on November 15, 2007, at 11:59:03
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age....phillip, posted by rskontos on November 15, 2007, at 11:42:33
Thanks rk. You are very smart. I just have a problem with theories maybe the left side of my brain doesn't work cause the right emotional side sure does. Love ya Phillipa
Posted by rskontos on November 15, 2007, at 13:44:26
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age....phillip » rskontos, posted by Phillipa on November 15, 2007, at 11:59:03
Well see Phillipa that is the cool part in this study they found that in lefties brains the emotions are governed in the reverse of right handed people. So say if you are righthanded and your emotions are governed by your right side, I don't know just an example then in a left handed person it would be the reverse. I didn't realize that. I always thought that one side governed one group of skills while another side handled another group. But these studies showed that wasn't the case. Wild huh....which explains why when I was getting my degree at Vandy they found that people with certain reading disabilities had in fact been destined to be lefthanded instead of righthanded and instead teachers had made them right handed and messed up their processing of the written word. Wild huh. Another study showed that handedness is actually pre-determined inutero not after birth. That whatever thumb a fetus sucks prior to birth usually is the hand they write with. Almost 90% remained that way at 12 years old. Wild huh.....rk Oh yeah thanks about the smart part, I am not sure about that but thanks rk
Posted by Phillipa on November 15, 2007, at 19:07:14
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age....phillip, posted by rskontos on November 15, 2007, at 13:44:26
You are quite welcome and that is so interesting about the fetus and thumb so an ultrasound could show a family the dominant hand of a baby if sucking their thumb. Wasn't there an old study that when a baby was born the arm they held above their head while sleeping also was the dominant one? Phillipa
Posted by rskontos on November 15, 2007, at 19:17:25
In reply to Re: lefthandness more common in ice age....phillip » rskontos, posted by Phillipa on November 15, 2007, at 19:07:14
Hmm, I don't remember that one Phillipa, but here is the one I found,
Wednesday, 21 July, 2004, 23:59 GMT 00:59 UK
Preferred hand 'set in the womb'The hand you prefer to use as a 10-week-old foetus is the hand you will favour for the rest of your life, research suggests.
A team from Belfast's Queen's University studied foetuses in the womb, and after birth.Their findings challenge the widely held view that a child does not develop left or right-handedness until it is at least three years old.
The research is reported by New Scientist magazine.
In one part of their study, the Belfast team identified 60 foetuses who sucked their right thumb in the womb, and 15 who sucked their left thumb.
When the babies were examined again between the ages of 10 and 12, the researchers found all 60 of the right thumb suckers were now right-handed.
Two-thirds of the left thumb suckers were left handed, the rest apparently having switched their dominant hand.
" Is it body movement that shapes our brain development, not the other way round? "
Professor Peter Hepper
In another investigation the researchers found that nine out of 10 foetuses at just 15 weeks old preferred to suck their right thumb - mirroring the percentage of right and left-handed people in the general population.They also produced evidence suggesting foetuses begin to favour one hand over another at an even earlier stage.
At ten weeks old foetuses are too young to have begun to suck their thumb, but they do wave their hands about.
The Belfast team found the majority tend to wave their right arm more than their left.
Lead researcher Professor Peter Hepper said at 10 weeks movements are not under brain control or conscious control.
Nervous connections to the body from the brain are not thought to start developing until around 20 weeks' gestation.
Instead, Professor Hepper believes the arm movements are probably the result of local reflexes involving the spinal cord.
Opposite theory
One side may be favoured over the other, because it develops slightly faster, he believes.
Most experts believe that whether a person is left or right handed is a reflection how their brain develops.
The brain is effectively a double organ with two sides, each taking control of different functions.
But the Belfast team say their scans challenge this theory because they show that handedness appears long before the brain has any control over movement.
Professor Hepper speculates the reverse may be true: the foetus's body movements may somehow influence the way the brain develops, rather than the other way round.
He points out that the nerve connections from the body to the brain develop before the connections that allow the brain to control the body's movement.
Professor Hepper said: "Previous studies have linked our strong tendency to be right or left handed with brain asymmetries.
"The argument is that because the brain has specific functions associated with its left and right sides - for instance, speech centres are usually in the left brain, music and mathematics on the right - this somehow makes us unevenly one-handed.
"But our new work looking in the womb shows that foetuses prefer to use one arm or the other long before these movements come under brain control.
"This early activity is probably under muscle control, or controlled by nerves in the spinal cord.
"So is it body movement that shapes our brain development, not the other way round?"
Scepticism
Dr Stephen Wilson, a developmental biologist at University College London, is sceptical.
He said the movements seen in the womb are not necessarily an indication of which side of the body was likely to become dominant.
He said: "The movements you see in a foetus don't have to be influencing brain asymmetries."
Details of the research were presented at the Forum of European Neuroscience in Lisbon.
Anyway, I thought this was very interesting. As teachers we were always taught to teach parents to hold the spoon, fork or whatever at the center of the chest not to influence the child's handedness. This suggests it doesn't really matter. Fodder for thought.
rk
Posted by brooke484 on November 15, 2007, at 19:56:25
In reply to Mental illness and handedness (?), posted by linkadge on November 13, 2007, at 16:13:38
and then all of a sudden I couldn't write anymore (major stress in college). So I switched hands and have been right handed ever since. I tried to go back but never could.
brooke
Posted by linkadge on November 15, 2007, at 20:15:55
In reply to I was left handed for 21 years..., posted by brooke484 on November 15, 2007, at 19:56:25
Thats really strange. Did anything happen physically at that time. I mean, did you have any head injuries or something?
Thats the stangest thing I have heard.
Linkadge
Posted by brooke484 on November 15, 2007, at 20:31:35
In reply to Re: I was left handed for 21 years... » brooke484, posted by linkadge on November 15, 2007, at 20:15:55
I wish! That would explain why I'm so messed up. :) I just remember my stress level was out of control. Your typical college problems - didn't know what to major in, I was drinking too much, difficult classes... I remember my handwriting was getting worse and worse and I couldn't even read my notes after awhile. So one day I decided to try my right hand. It was actually easier than writing with my left (it was never before that time though) so I just kept writing with my right hand and now I'm right handed! I do miss writing with my left hand though. It is a mystery and doctors never could explain it. One thought I had a stroke, but I doubt it.
brooke
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