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Genetic influences on handedness: Data from 25,732 Australian and Dutch twin families
Citation
Medland, SE and Duffy, DL and Wright, MJ and Geffen, GM and Hay, DA and Levy, F and van-Beijsterveldt, CEM and Willemsen, G and White, V and Hewitt, A and Mackey, DA and Bailey, JM and Slutske, WS and Nyholt, DR and Treloar, SA and Martin, NG and Boomsman, DI, Genetic influences on handedness: Data from 25,732 Australian and Dutch twin families, Neuropsychologia: An International Journal in Behavioural Neuroscience, 47, (2) pp. 330-337. ISSN 0028-3932 (2009) [Refereed Article]
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.09.005
Abstract
Handedness refers to a consistent asymmetry in skill or preferential use between the hands and is related to lateralization within the brain of other functions such as language. Previous twin studies of handedness have yielded inconsistent results resulting from a general lack of statistical power to find significant effects. Here we present analyses from a large international collaborative study of handedness (assessed by writing/drawing or self report) in Australian and Dutch twins and their siblings (54,270 individuals from 25,732 families). Maximum likelihood analyses incorporating the effects of known covariates (sex, year of birth and birth weight) revealed no evidence of hormonal transfer, mirror imaging or twin specific effects. There were also no differences in prevalence between zygosity groups or between twins and their singleton siblings. Consistent with previous meta-analyses, additive genetic effects accounted for about a quarter (23.64%) of the variance (95%CI 20.17, 27.09%) with the remainder accounted for by non-shared environmental influences. The implications of these findings for handedness both as a primary phenotype and as a covariate in linkage and association analyses are discussed.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Asymmetry; Behavioral genetics; Extended twin family design; Laterality; Left-handed |
Research Division: | Biomedical and Clinical Sciences |
Research Group: | Ophthalmology and optometry |
Research Field: | Ophthalmology |
Objective Division: | Health |
Objective Group: | Clinical health |
Objective Field: | Clinical health not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Hewitt, A (Professor Alex Hewitt) |
UTAS Author: | Mackey, DA (Professor David Mackey) |
ID Code: | 95297 |
Year Published: | 2009 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 162 |
Deposited By: | Medicine |
Deposited On: | 2014-09-29 |
Last Modified: | 2014-09-29 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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