Altered cerebral dominance in an atopic population

Abstract

Handedness was assessed in 853 subjects, 424 from an allergy office practice and 429 from a health screening clinic, using a modified Oldfield Handedness Inventory. Subjects also responded to a survey ascertaining both personal and family histories of allergy-related problems and left-handedness. A significant left-handed shift in mean laterality quotient and an increased incidence of left-handedness was found in participants from the allergy office and in subjects who considered themselves to be affected by allergy, allergic rhinitis, and/or asthma. Controlling for nonatopic responders from the allergy office and possibly atopic responders from the health screening clinic, mean laterality quotients were 66.4 ± 51.6 vs 79.4 ± 42.1 ( p < .001) and the incidence of left-handedness was 12.1% vs 6.8% ( p < .05). Mean laterality quotient of 125 asthmatics was 65.1 ± 54.0, and 16 (12.8%) were left-handed. The mean percentage of left-handed children of 79 asthmatic parents was found to be increased: 16.7 ± 26.3% vs 10.3 ± 21.2% of children of 198 nonatopic parents ( p < .02). This was attributable to left-handed children of asthmatic women, 18.6 ± 29.0% ( p < .01), but not asthmatic men. Both autonomic neurologic dysfunction and disordered immunoregulation typify atopic disease. Our results can be interpreted to reflect this duality and lend support to Geshwind's hypothesis of a relationship between cerebral dominance and immunologic set resulting from common developmental influences.