Scientists have confirmed the presence of a genetic link between the predominant use of the left hand during movements and schizophrenia.

“Mental illnesses are much more common in left-handers as psychoses, mainly schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders, than as mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder.. This confirms the genetic link previously discovered by scientists between such a phenomenon as left-handedness and the mental illness schizophrenia..

A team of researchers led by Jadon Webb estimated the ratio of left-handers to right-handers among 107 patients in a psychiatric clinic.. So, left-handers, often suffering from mood disorders, turned out to be 11 percent. And among those suffering from psychotic disorders, this figure was 40 percent.

“Awareness of the presence of a connection between left-handedness and psychotic disorders that cause people to somehow lose touch with the outside world can serve as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of mental illness.. This, in turn, will allow for more targeted and effective therapies,” says Webb..

In 2007, scientists first discovered the LRRTM1 gene involved in left-handedness.. It turned out to regulate the functional asymmetry of the brain. This gene serves as a determining factor in the division of functions between the left and right hemispheres, in particular, which of them controls speech and understanding of language, and which controls emotions.. LRRTM1 is also associated with the development of schizophrenia, a disease characterized by uneven activity in brain regions..

global science. en.