Left Handed & Susceptible to Schizophrenia?
While reading American Scientist magazine, I came across this “Southpaw Gene”(LRRTM1) blurb stating that researchers discovered a gene that predisposes people to be left handed.
This same gene apparently may also increase the likelihood of developing schizophrenia. It can only be inherited from the father for some reason and is inactive in the mother.
This isn’t the same thing as saying all left handed people are schizophrenic because there are various factors that lead to its development. I have also read that the same gene that predisposes you to developing schizophrenia also makes you more susceptible to becoming bi-polar.
Anyway, according to the American Journal of Genetics, severe stress in childhood is also a factor and can actually lead to brain damage. In other words, it’s both biological and environmental. The bottom line is no one factor determines whether you will develop it. Even identical twins only have a 50% chance compared to the other.
I’m sure these researchers could find other conditions that right handed people were more prone to as well. In fact, I know people who are bi-polar and schizophrenic and they’re right handed. It’s important to be cautious with any sweeping generalizations, especially since left handed people have faced ongoing prejudice as it is.
Famous Left Handed People
On Wikipedia, I came across a listing of several musicians who are/were left handed. They include Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney and Freddy Mercury from Queen. That does explain why Jimi Hendrix played his Fender Stratocaster upside down and Paul McCartney did the same thing when he first played.
It was an interesting discovery so thought I would share and although it might be old news to some, I’m just reading about it. For further reading, see National Geographic’s article on the gene for left handedness.
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:27 am
[...] Left Handed & Susceptible to Schizophrenia? While reading American Scientist magazine, I came across this "Southpaw Gene"(LRRTM1) blurb stating that researchers discovered a gene that [...]
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:42 am
[...] Here’s another interesting post I read today by Sandra Williams [...]
April 15th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Jimi Hendrix played his Strat upside-down for two reasons:
1. He was left-handed
2. He believed that left-handed guitars weren’t as well-made as right-handed ones.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Yeah, well maybe they weren’t as well made. I guess he would know. Thanks for the info Craig.