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Handedness in Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Pamela J. Taylor
Affiliation:
Guy's Hospital, London, SE1, now Lecturer in Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5
Rosemary Dalton
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine, Guy's Hospital
J. J. Fleminger
Affiliation:
Guy's Hospital, London SE1

Summary

Handedness was assessed in 272 schizophrenics and compared with findings in normal controls. The schizophrenics differed significantly from the normal controls in their handedness patterns, having a higher proportion of fully right-handed subjects. Findings in brain-damaged and elderly schizophrenic patients are also reported. The lack of consistency of reporting of handedness in schizophrenic populations in previous studies is discussed. While it is probable that differences in the methods of study of handedness account for some of the variance, differences in the type of schizophrenic illness seem likely to be of greater importance.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1980 

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