Zur Untersuchung der motorischen Asymmetrien1

Abstract

Although the study of handedness and its association with hemispheric specialisation represents the prevailing focus of motor dominance research, recent inquiry into footedness and other motoric asymmetries has stimulated several interesting propositions. The present review show the variability of assessing motoric asymmetries. Asymmetry in hand use takes two forms: differential hand preference and differential dexterity between the hands. Motoric asymmetries are strongest and most manifest for handedness (hand preference, performance and dexterity), descending through footedness and other less known asymmetries (tonguedness, chewing preference). Handedness is the most easily observed expression of cerebral lateralization. The alpha and omega of relating handedness to other neuropsychological variables or indices of lateral specialization lies in the classification of handedness. A vast range of testing techniques have been used to assess handedness. Writing hand and self-report are two of the most popular techniques. Other preference measures include observation of how people use tools and questionnaires. Performance tests assess speed and accuracy in tasks stressing manipulative dexterity. Although questionnaires are generally thought to be reliable and valid instruments, there is a disagreement as to the nature, the number and weighting of the items to be included. The least stable results will be obtained if a categorization into "right-handers" and "non-right-handers" is made on the basis of exclusive "right" answers. Slightly more stable is a classification that is based on "right-handers", "mixed preference handers" and "left-hander" based on extreme choices in either direction and intermediate choices. We present shortly a possible inventory assessing motoric asymmetries.

Drawing and Handedness of Preschoolers: A Repeated-Measurement Approach to Hand Preference

“…Handedness is partly genefically determined (Annett, 1972;Bryden, Roy McManus, & Bulman-Fleming, 1997), but cultural influences may play a crucial role regarding the hand used for wrifing (Bryden & Steenhuis, 1991;Reiss & Reiss, 2000), Left-handers grow up in a right-handed environment and could therefore be at special risk for inconsistent hand preference. To date it remains unclear to what extent lateralizafion or environment lead to inconsistent hand preference.…”

Placebo analgesia in patients with functional and organic abdominal pain: a fMRI study in IBS, UC and healthy volunteers

“…The following validated questionnaires (all German versions) were completed prior to the fMRI study: HADS for symptoms of anxiety and depression18; Short-Form 12 for physical and psychological health-related quality-of-life19; NEO Five Factor Inventory for personality traits20; Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress for chronic stress (screening scale was used herein as a global stress indicator)21; the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory for chronic pain22; the Sense of Coherence Scale for sense of coherence and coping23 and handedness with a validated questionnaire 24. Frequency and severity of GI symptoms during the past month were quantified with a standardised inhouse questionnaire 9.…”

Affective disturbances modulate the neural processing of visceral pain stimuli in irritable bowel syndrome: an fMRI study

“…For healthy women, any evidence of previous or current psychiatric conditions, including HADS scores ≥11 (ie, the cut-off for clinically relevant symptoms), was exclusionary. Right-handedness was ensured using a validated questionnaire 17. A structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan was completed to exclude any brain tissue abnormality.…”