Edinburgh Inventory Research Articles

Statistical investigation about spinal clinical asymmetry in a school population

BackgroundSpinal disorders and obesity are increasing and are an important cause for concern among healthcare and educational bodies. There is a wide variability in the literature of clinical positivity for scoliosis in the examination of the spine. AimOur study aims to investigate a relationship between scoliosis hump in schoolchildren and obesity, evaluating different kind of variables. MethodsThe sample was comprised by 478 schoolchildren from Italy, with a mean age of 12.6 years (SD: 1.861). They were classified by using ATR test, body mass index (BMI), the Edinburgh Inventory, the deep flexion test. ResultsResults of ATR test evidence 26 subjects (5,4%) positive for ATR ≥ 7; 102 subjects (21,3%) positive for ATR ≥ 6; and finally 191 subjects (40,0%) positive for ATR ≥ 5. There were 191 (40%) subjects with scoliosis; obesity was present in 62 (13%) cases and, after the regression, associations were found between scoliotic posture and gender, presence of obesity, and flexibility. ConclusionsOur study confirms a relationship between obesity and scoliosis, which increases with the age. Female subjects have higher risks to develop humps and spinal disorders. It is advisable to use a combination of several parameters to achieve a more sensitive evaluation.

Dominant Hand Usage in Racket Sports and Detection of the Injured Regions

The aim of this study is to examine dominant hand usage and detect the injury regions in racket sports. A total of 98 athletes, of which 37 (37.8%) are female, 61 (62.2%) are male, studying at 11 different universities and attending competitions with schools teams with an average age of 21.11±1.66, height of 1.71±0.08 cm, weight of 64.92±10.85 kg, and BMI of 22.00±2.41(kg/m2) have participated in the study. When it comes to the distribution of the athletes by branches, the sample consists of 22 table tennis players, 24 badminton players, 25 tennis players and 27 squash players. The "Edinburgh Inventory Hand Preference Survey" was used as a data collection tool to determine the hand preferences of the athletes. In the determination of sports injuries suffered by athletes, the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire was administered. There are significant differences between the lefty and righty athletes in terms of injuries in the left shoulder, left wrist and right lower leg regions when the injury regions in racket sports are compared by hand preferences (p<0.05). It is seen that the injuries that occur in right forearm, left wrist and the right upper leg regions of the athletes of racket sports differ according to branches (p<0.05). When the injury regions are examined according to hand preferences, it is seen that the injuries in the left shoulder, left wrist and lower right leg regions occur more in lefty athletes in comparison to righty athletes. When the relationship between the injury region regions and sports branches is examined, it can be argued that table tennis players suffer more frequent injuries in the left wrist compared to the players of other branches.

The Role of Hand, Eye, and Ear Lateralization in the Sense of Rhythm of the Athletes

This study was carried out to investigate the relationship among the hand, eye, and ear lateralizations and the sense of rhythm of the athletes randomly selected from different sport branches.A total of 115 elite athletes including 72 males (62.6%) and 43 females (37.4%) whose mean age was 22.3±2.4 years and who receive training at different departments of the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Ataturk University were included in the study. Hand preference was assessed based on the Geschwind score by applying Edinburgh Inventory test. The dominant eye was tested by the Dolman Method (hole-in-the-card test). Hearing durations were measured using 128 Hz diapason and digital chronometer. The rhythm perception and application skills were assessed considering the rhythmic answers given practically to the rhythm patterns previously prepared by the researcher.As for the handedness of the athletes, 16.5% of them were left-handed (n=19), 7.8% (n=9) were two-handed, and 75.7% (n=87) were right-handed. While 18.3% (n=21) had good hearing durations with left ear, and 13.9% (n=16) had good hearing durations with right ear, 67.8% (n=78) had very close hearing durations with two ears. While left eye of 41.7% (n=48) was dominant, the right eye of 58.3% (n=67) was dominant. According to the rhythm perception and application test results, 46.1% of the athletes were weak (n=53), 30.4% at the midlevel (n=35), 13.9% (n=16) good, and 9.6% (n=11) at very good level.No significant relationship was found between the eye and ear lateralization of the athletes and their rhythm perception and application skills; however, it was found that the sense of rhythm of the left-handed individuals was better than the right-handed ones with respect to the handedness.

Handedness is a biomarker of variation in anal sex role behavior and Recalled Childhood Gender Nonconformity among gay men.

Developmental theories of the biological basis of sexual orientation suggest that sexually differentiated psychological and behavioural traits should be linked with sexual orientation. Subgroups of gay men delineated by anal sex roles differ according to at least one such trait: gender expression. The present study assessed the hypothesis that handedness, a biologically determined sexually differentiated trait, corresponds to differences in subgroups of gay men based on anal sex role. Furthermore, it assessed whether handedness mediates the association between gender nonconformity and male sexual orientation. Straight and gay men (N = 333) completed the Edinburgh Inventory of Handedness and the Recalled Childhood Gender Nonconformity Scale. Gay men also completed measures of anal sex role preference. As in previous studies, gay men showed greater non-right-handedness and gender nonconformity than straight men. Also, among gay men, bottoms/versatiles (i.e., gay men who take a receptive anal sex role, or who take on both a receptive and insertive anal sex role) were more gender-nonconforming than tops (i.e., gay men who take an insertive anal sex role). In support of the hypothesis, bottoms/versatiles were more non-right-handed than tops and handedness mediated the male sexual orientation and anal sex role differences in Recalled Childhood Gender Nonconformity. Together, these findings suggest that developmental processes linked to handedness underpin variation among men in sexual orientation and gender nonconformity as well as variation among subgroups of gay men that are delineated by anal sex roles.

Correlation of handedness with hand anthropometric measurements in Haryanvi Brahmins

IntroductionAnthropometric studies have revealed that in comparison of the two halves of the human body, the values belonging to the right half are different than those of left half. This is due to effect of directionality and degree of handed preference, a functional property of hand, on anthropometric measurement of hand in healthy individual. In the present study, the aim is to provide authentic database on hand anthropometric measurements in Haryanvi Brahmins and to study its co-relation with handedness. MethodsThe present study was conducted on 300 Haryanvi Brahmins (150 of either sex of age 18 years) and above. Three hand measurements: hand length, hand breadth and shape index were taken with a digital sliding caliper. Handedness was determined according to Edinburgh Inventory which evaluates the direction and degree of hand preference. ResultsThe mean values of hand parameters were significantly different between males and females, right handers and left handers. Hand breadth and shape index were found to be greater in the right hand in strong and weak right hand preference groups in Haryanvi Brahmins. DiscussionLeft hand preference groups displayed irregular and heterogenous characteristics with regard to hand parameters. When correlation between laterality score and hand parameters was examined no specific hand measurements were found to be indicators of hand preference in Haryanvi Brahmins.

New data on psychological traits and sleep profiles of patients affected by nocturnal eating

ObjectiveNocturnal eating behavior is shared by patients affected by a parasomnia, sleep-related eating disorder (SRED), and several eating disorders such as night eating syndrome (NES) and binge-eating disorder (BED); however, the differential clinical features of these patients have been poorly studied, with persisting difficulties in defining the borders between these pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate polysomnographic and personality characteristics of nocturnal eaters to further differentiate the syndromes. MethodsDuring a period of six months, consecutive patients complaining of nocturnal eating were asked to participate to the study. Twenty-four patients who were found to eat during the polysomnographic recording (PSG) study, and gender-matched control subjects were included. All subjects underwent a full-night video-PSG study and a psychometric assessment including the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-2), the self-rating Bulimic Investigatory Test–Edinburgh (BITE), the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). ResultsNocturnal eaters showed a mild reduction in sleep efficiency and duration due to a moderate sleep fragmentation, whereas the percentage of each sleep stage was not significantly affected. Nocturnal eaters scored higher at many subscales of the EDI-2, at the BITE symptoms subscale, and at the BIS attentional impulsivity subscale. ConclusionThe psychological characteristics found in our patients with NES seem to be typical for patients affected by eating disorders, and support the hypothesis that the nocturnal behavior of these individuals is due to an eating disorder; however, specific traits also allow differentiation of NES from BED.

The impact of surgeon handedness in total hip replacement.

Total hip replacement (THR) is successful and performed commonly. Component placement is a determinant of outcome. Influence of surgeon handedness on component placement has not been considered previously. This study was a radiographic assessment of component positioning with respect to handedness. Early data from 160 patients are reported. Overall, 160 primary THRs for osteoarthritis were included. Equal numbers of left and right THRs were performed by four surgeons, two right-handed and two left-handed. Postoperative radiography was assessed for THR component position by measurement of leg length inequality, acetabular inclination and centre of rotation. Surgeons' handedness was assessed using the Edinburgh inventory. For leg length inequality, no significant interaction was seen between hip side and surgeon handedness. Acetabular inclination angles showed a statistically significant difference, however, depending on hand dominance, with higher inclination angles recorded when operating on the dominant side. There was a trend towards greater medialisation of the centre of rotation on the non-dominant side although this did not reach statistical significance. Surgeon handedness appears to influence acetabular component position during THR but it is one factor of many that interact to achieve a successful outcome.

Musicians Manual Motor Skill Comparative to Non-Musicians

Objective. To describe the ability of instrumentalists; to check man­ual preference of instrumentalists; to compare the manual ability of instrumentalist with non-instrumentalists and to demonstrate their ability of non-dominant hand. Method. This study was cross-section­al, quantitative with random sample selection. There were 15 instru­mentalists and 15 non-instrumentalists, males, aged between 30 and 59 years in research. The Identification Questionnaire, Edinburgh Inventory and Purdue Pegboard Test were applied. Statistical analysis was performed by measures of central tendency and dispersion, the Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality of the data and the Student t test was used to compare the groups, with p<0.05. Results. There was equal distribution of hand preference between instrumen­talists and non-instrumentalists. The instrumentalists performed bet­ter than non-instrumentalists to dominant hand (15.76±2.20) and non-dominant (14.44±1.68; p<0.001) and when compared to non-dominant hand of instrumentalists (14.44±1.68) with the non-dom­inant hand instrumentalists (12.40±2.24; p=0.009). Conclusion. In instrumentalists, the manual preference behavior does not differ from non-instrumentalists; however, they showed higher number of pins placed by each hand. The differences in performance are evidence of neuroplastic mechanisms of motor learning, in which musicians was submitted.

6:00 PM THE EXCESS OF NON-RIGHT-HANDEDNESS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NOT THE RESULT OF METHODOLOGICAL ARTIFACTS AND BIASES – A META-ANALYSIS

There is a substantial body of data showing differences in the functioning of the two hemispheres in unipolar depressive and bipolar disorders. Migraine is a frequent co-morbid disorder in these patients, and it has been proposed that migraine may be associated with left-handedness. It would therefore be interesting to study migraine and handedness in a population of patients with mood disorders.A total of 201 patients with an index episode of either major depression or mania were interviewed with a semi-structured interview based partly on DSM-IV criteria and partly on TEMPS-I for affective temperaments. The criteria of the Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society were used to establish the diagnosis of migraine. Hand preference was assessed using the Edinburgh inventory, and the patients were classified as having right-, left-, or mixed-handedness.In the whole group 117 patients had migraine (58%) and 59 (29%) were classified as having non-right hand preference. There was a significant increased prevalence of non-right-handedness in the migraine group (37% vs. 19%, p = 0.021, Chi-square test; OR 2.5; 95% CI 1.3 –4.8, p = 0.007). In patients with cyclothymic, hyperthymic or irritable temperaments the prevalence of non-right-handedness (42%) was significantly higher (p = 0.013, Chi-square test; OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2–4.3) compared to patients with a depressive or no affective temperament (24%). The prevalence of non-right-handedness was also significantly higher both in patients with co-morbid eating disorders (48% vs. 26%, p = 0.008 Chi-square test; OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.3–5.9, p = 0.01) and asthma (45% vs. 26%, p = 0.026 Chi-square test; OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1–5.1, p = 0.029).Non-blind evaluation of affective diagnosis, migraine and handedness.Our main finding supports the hypothesis that non-right-handedness is associated with migraine and bipolar affective temperaments (“soft bipolarity”) in a sample of patients with major affective disorders.

Are There Excitability Changes in the Hand Motor Cortex During Speech in Left-Handed Subjects?

Hemispheric dominance was investigated in left-handed subjects using single transcranial magnetic stimulation to assess the possible effect of forced change in the dominant hand. Single transcranial magnetic stimuli were delivered randomly over the hand area of the left or right motor cortex of 8 Japanese self-declared left-handed adult volunteers. Electromyographic responses were recorded in the relaxed first dorsal interosseous muscle while the subjects read aloud. Laterality quotient calculated by the Edinburgh Inventory ranged from -100 to -5.26 and laterality index calculated from motor evoked potentials ranged from -86.2 to 38.8. There was no significant correlation between laterality quotient and laterality index. Mean data values across all 8 subjects indicated significant increases only in the left hand. Our ratio analysis of facilitation of the hand motor potentials showed that 2 each of the 8 self-declared left-handers were right- and left-hand dominant and the other 4 were bilateral-hand dominant. Speech dominancy was localized primarily in the right cerebral hemisphere in left-handed subjects, but some individuals exhibited bilateral or left dominance, possibly attributable to the forced change of hand preference for writing in childhood. Our findings suggest changes in the connections between the speech and hand motor areas.

Mixed handedness is associated with greater age-related decline in volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala: the PATH through life study.

Handedness has been found to be associated with structural and functional cerebral differences. Left handedness and mixed handedness also appear to be associated with an elevated risk of some developmental and immunological disorders that may contribute to pathological processes developing in ageing. Inconsistent reports show that left handedness may be more prevalent in early-onset as well as late-onset Alzheimer's disease, but might also be associated with slower decline. Such inconsistencies may be due to handedness being usually modeled as a binary construct while substantial evidence suggests it to be a continuous trait. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between brain structures known to be implicated in pathological ageing and strength and direction of handedness. The association between handedness and hippocampal and amygdalar atrophy was investigated in 327 cognitively healthy older individuals. Handedness was measured with the Edinburgh Inventory. Two measures were computed from this index, one reflecting the direction (left = 0/right = 1) and the other the degree of handedness (ranging from 0 to 1). Hippocampal and amygdalar volumes were manually traced on scans acquired 4 years apart. Regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between strength and direction of handedness and incident hippocampal and amygdalar atrophy. Analyses showed that strength but not direction of handedness was a significant predictor of hippocampal (Left: beta = 0.118, P = 0.013; Right: beta = 0.116, P = 0.010) and amygdalar (Right: beta = 0.105, P = 0.040) atrophy. The present findings suggest that mixed but not left handedness is associated with greater hippocampal and amygdalar atrophy. This effect may be due to genetic, environmental, or behavioural differences that will need further investigation in future studies.

Familial sinistrality and handedness in patients with first episode schizophrenia: The EUFEST study

The population with schizophrenia is characterised by a leftward shift in handedness—sinistrality. However, findings are inconsistent in chronic patients, and familial sinistrality (FS), defined as the presence of left-handed close relatives, might contribute to the discrepancies. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the strength of manual lateralisation in patients with first episode schizophrenia, taking into account familial sinistrality. The Edinburgh Inventory (EI) allowed us to categorise 179 patients from the EUFEST study and 189 controls presenting “strong handedness” (SH: EI absolute value between ∣81∣ and ∣100∣) or “weak-handedness” (WH: EI value between −80 and +80). The nominal logistic regression did not show an FS effect, but a nearly significant interaction between illness and FS (p =.07). There were fewer participants without FS presenting SH among patients (99/151: 65.6%) than among controls (134/164: 81.7%, p =.001). In contrast, the number of participants with FS presenting SH was similar between controls (68%) and patients (75%, p =.57). The presence of left-handed relatives (FS + ) tended to reduce manual lateralisation, but only in controls. This supports the notion that reduced manual lateralisation in schizophrenia is related to the illness rather than to familial left-handedness.

Asymmetric color perception in the shopping aisle: some implications for merchandising

AbstractPurpose To investigate the perception of colored items in the aisle of a virtual store and establish whether it may be affected by their position on shelves.Methods 50 apparently healthy, right‐handed university students, recruited on a voluntary basis, were included in this study. Inclusion criteria included: 1) visual acuity ≥ 20/20 in each eye; 2) normal color vision; 3) right‐handedness, assessed by the Edinburgh inventory; 4) no history of ophthalmic and/or neurological disorders. Each subject was asked to look at 3 series of 18 images each on a plasma screen; the images showed a virtual modern store aisle, as it would be seen by a customer standing at one end in a central position and looking straight ahead. On both sides, the virtual aisle had 5 shelves, each containing 39 items of the same size and shape. In each image, apart from one single colored item, all other items were gray. In each series, the colored item was always of the same color, namely blue, red or green. All colors were monochromatic and had the same level of saturation. To avoid perceptive bias, all the images shown were perfectly symmetrical to the vertical axis. For each image, subjects were asked to locate as quickly as possible the colored item. Correctness and response time of answers were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA.Results Statistical analysis showed that the coloured items were perceived significantly more accurately and rapidly when they were located on the left.Conclusion Results support the idea of an asymmetric perception of colored items in the shopping aisle, suggesting that item location on store shelves may have important implications for merchandising.

Handedness is modulated by sex and self-perception

The distribution of handedness is different for men and women. Less pronounced right- or left-handedness in men is well established and often attributed to direct effects of genetic factors. Many studies observing this sex difference assessed handedness via questionnaire. It may therefore be influenced by a sex-specific bias in self-perception. Permanent inadequate self-perceptions are key characteristics of hypochondriasis. The study therefore tested 1017 participants (614 females) on two standard questionnaires to assess handedness and hypochondriasis: the Edinburgh Inventory and the Whiteley Index. Effects of sex, hypochondriac traits and the direction of handedness (left-handers; right-handers) on the degree of handedness (DH; the strength of lateralisation) were tested with multivariate linear regression. In confirmation of previous results, the DH is lower (less pronounced) in right-handed males than right-handed females, but is similar across sexes in left-handers. Regression analyses showed that for right-handers, male sex and higher hypochondriac traits are independent predictors of lower DH. For left-handers, main effects of sex and hypochondriac traits are not significant whereas a significant interaction of these two factors indicates that in left-handed men higher hypochondriac traits are associated with a differentially stronger shift towards lower DH compared to left-handed women. In conclusion, the DH is modulated by sex-specific effects of self-perception for left-handers but not right-handers. The implications of this finding on current theories of the inheritance of handedness are discussed. The assessment of hypochondriac traits might be useful to control response bias in questionnaire-based studies of human handedness.

Patterns of Handedness and Socio-cultural Influences on Dextrality Amongst University of Nigeria Medical Students

There are three types of handedness with different prevalence rates reported from various parts of the world including Nigeria. The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence of handedness using the students of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus as the study group. A modified Edinburgh Inventory was applied to 1200 students. Of the questionnaires returned, only those that were correctly filled, were analyzed. Of the 1200 questionnaires, 880 (73.33%) were analyzed. Three hundred and seventy six (42.7%) were females and 504 (57.3%) males. The ages of the subjects ranged from 18 to 28 with a mean age of 22.13 (+ 2.236) years. Eight hundred and twenty nine (94.2%) of the respondents were Igbos and 99.5% Christians. Overall, 3.94% were left handed, 8.43% mixed handed and 87.63% were right handed. More males were left handed than females. More than 10% of the respondents were forced to switch from left hand to right hand in their formative years. A higher percentage of females were affected by the forced hand switch, and the success rate was higher with females. The prevalence of left handedness compared favourably with reports from Nigeria, and other African and Europeans countries. Forced hand switch or forced dextrality probably plays a significant role in keeping the prevalence of left handedness low in our country, and may be partly responsible for the higher prevalence of left handedness in males than in females.Key words: Handedness, Patterns, Medical students, Nigeria

Changes of somatomotor and parietal regions produced by different amounts of electrical stimulation

Our study aims to investigate changes in electrocortical activity by observing the variations in absolute theta power in the primary somatomotor and parietal regions of the brain under three different electrical stimulation conditions: control group (without stimulation), group 24 (24 trials of stimulation) and group 36 (36 trials of stimulation). Thus, our hypothesis is that the application of different patterns of electrical stimulation will promote different states of habituation in these regions. The sample was composed of 24 healthy (absence of mental and physical impairments) students (14 male and 10 female), with ages varying from 25 to 40 years old (32.5±7.5), who are right-handed (Edinburgh Inventory). The subjects were randomly distributed into three groups: control (n=8), G24 (n=8) and G36 (n=8). We use the Functional electrical stimulation (FES) equipment (NeuroCompact-2462) to stimulate the right index finger extensor muscle, while the electroencephalographic signal was simultaneously recorded. We found an interaction between condition and block factors for the C3 and P3 electrode, a condition and block main effects for the C4 electrode, and a condition main effect for the P4 electrode. Our results support the hypothesis that electrical stimulation promotes neurophysiological changes. It appears that stimulus adaptation (accommodation) of specific circuits can strengthen the brain's ability to distinguish between and respond to such stimuli over time.

Hippocampal Volumes in First-Episode Psychosis

Hippocampal Volumes in First-Episode Psychosis

Hippocampal Volumes in First-Episode Psychosis

Studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia have smaller hippocampi than healthy comparison subjects. There are, however, inconsistencies regarding the relationship between clinical characteristics and topographical differences in hippocampal volumetry. The authors investigated hippocampal volumes in minimally treated patients with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders, relative to comparison subjects. Thirty-nine consecutive patients and 29 matched comparison subjects were scanned using 1.5 tesla MR system. Patients had significantly smaller right anterior, right, and anterior hippocampal volumes than comparison subjects. There was a gender by diagnosis effect: female patients showed significantly smaller anterior and right hippocampal volumes than female comparison subjects, an effect not seen in male patients. Our results suggest that smaller hippocampal volumes are present even in early stages of the illness.

Comprehension of Affective Prosody in Veterans With Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the few psychiatric conditions in which a subjective decrease in emotional range serves as a diagnostic criterion. In order to investigate whether veterans with chronic PTSD also experienced objective limitations in emotional perception, the authors administered the Aprosodia Battery to a group of 11 veterans with chronic PTSD, nine subjects with right hemisphere damage, seven subjects with left hemisphere damage, and 12 comparison subjects. The patients with PTSD displayed significant deficiencies in the comprehension and discriminative components of affective speech, similar in severity and performance profile on the Aprosodia Battery to the individuals with focal right hemisphere damage due to ischemic infarction.

A standardization study of the Czech version of the Mississippi Aphasia Screening Test (MASTcz) in stroke patients and control subjects

Primary objective: To assess the criterion and construct validity and inter-rater reliability of the Czech version of the Mississippi Aphasia Screening Test (MASTcz).Research design: Prospective evaluation of consecutive inpatients admitted to the stroke unit of a university hospital within 60 days of onset of a unilateral left hemispheric ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke with documented aphasia (LHA + ; n= 149). As control groups, unilateral right hemisphere stroke patients without aphasia (RHA−; n= 45) and healthy volunteers recruited from the community to comprise a non-patient control group (CG; n= 243) were examined.Methods: Data collection included administration of MASTcz (in 52 LHA + patients, repeated by two blinded observers within 24 hours), Edinburgh inventory, Minimental State Examination score and chart review. The presence of aphasia was documented with a standard clinical logopaedic examination and also with the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) in 45 LHA+ patients.Results: MASTcz displayed high criterion validity (with sensitivity and specificity above 90%) in discrimination between stroke aphasia patients and both control subjects and RHA− stroke patients, high construct validity (close correlation with WAB score; r= 0.933), and acceptable interrater reliability.Conclusion: Analyses suggest the usefulness of MASTcz as a reliable and valid screening tool for the detection of aphasia and tracking of its progress.