Manual preference in the schizophrenic spectrum

Abstract

At present, the main framework of schizophrenia etiology is the neurodevelopmental hypothesis that postulates the existence of an abnormal CNS development predating the appearance of the clinical syndrome. This abnormality makes the CNS unable to respond accurately to environmental stress, and implicates anomalies in cerebral lateralization. These anomalies can be observed through manual preference observations. On the other hand, several studies show that the subjects that score high in the positive and disorganized schizotypal symptomatology present, more frequently, an atypical handedness. The purpose of this review article is to check the condition of atypical handedness as a risk marker of the schizophrenic spectrum disorders.