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NEUROLOGY 2006;66:1855-1858
© 2006 American Academy of Neurology

Degree of handedness and cerebral dominance

Keren L. Isaacs, PhD, William B. Barr, PhD, ABPP, Peter Kim Nelson, MD and Orrin Devinsky, MD

From the Department of Cognitive Rehabilitation (K.L.I.), JFK Medical Center, Edison, NJ; and Departments of Neurology (W.B.B., O.D.) and Radiology (P.K.N.), New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Keren Isaacs, JFK Medical Center, 65 James Street, Edison, NJ 08818; e-mail: klebeau{at}solarishs.org

Objective: To examine the relationship between the degree of handedness and hemispheric language dominance in patients with epilepsy.

Methods: The authors examined the relationship between degree of handedness and hemispheric language dominance in 174 epilepsy surgery candidates using the intracarotid amobarbital procedure and results from a modified version of the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory.

Results: The incidence of atypical language dominance increased linearly with the degree of left-handedness, from 9% in strong right-handers (laterality quotient [LQ] = +100) to 46% in ambidextrous individuals and 69% in strong left-handers (LQ = –100).

Conclusions: The incidence of atypical language dominance depends not only on the direction but also on the degree of handedness. In addition, direction of language dominance varies with hemisphere of seizure focus and degree of handedness. A familial history of sinistrality may have an additional effect on the likelihood of atypical dominance.

Additional material related to this article can be found on the Neurology Web site. Go to www.neurology.org and scroll down the Table of Contents for the June 27 issue to find the title link for this article.

Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Received October 31, 2005. Accepted in final form March 10, 2006.