Open AccessHandedness and its genetic influences are associated with structural asymmetries of the cerebral cortex in 31,864 individuals
Author(s) -
Zhiqiang Sha,
Antonietta Pepe,
Dick Schijven,
Amaia Carrión-Castillo,
James M Roe,
René Westerhausen,
Marc Joliot,
Simon E. Fisher,
Fabrice Crivello,
Clyde Francks
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2113095118
Subject(s) - precentral gyrus , neuroscience , cortex (anatomy) , population , posterior parietal cortex , anterior cingulate cortex , cerebral cortex , brain asymmetry , anatomy , psychology , motor cortex , cytoarchitecture , biology , lateralization of brain function , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , cognition , environmental health , stimulation , radiology
Significance Left-handedness occurs in roughly 10% of people, but whether it involves altered brain anatomy has remained unclear. We measured left to right asymmetry of the cerebral cortex in 28,802 right-handers and 3,062 left-handers. There were small average differences between the two handedness groups in brain regions important for hand control, language, vision, and working memory. Genetic influences on handedness were associated with some of these brain asymmetries, especially of language-related regions. This suggests links between handedness and language during human development and evolution. One implicated gene isNME7 , which also affects placement of the visceral organs (heart, liver, etc.) on the left to right body axis—a possible connection between brain and body asymmetries in embryonic development.