Testosterone and estradiol in right-handed men but only estradiol in right-handed women is inversely correlated with the degree of right-hand preference.
Relations of sex hormones to the degree of right-hand preference was studied in right-handed male and female adult subjects. Hand preference was assessed by the Edinburgh and Waterloo Handedness Questionnaires. Males consisted of weakly, moderately, and strongly right-handed subjects. Females comprised only moderately and strongly right-handed subjects. In females, only serum estradiol was found to be negatively linearly and significantly correlated with the degree of right-hand preference. In males, testosterone, as well as estradiol, showed a significant negative linear correlation with the degree of right-hand preference. Sex hormone binding globulin also showed a similar relation to hand preference in males. Thus, nearly all sex hormones caused a decrease in the degree of right-hand preference in males, whereas only estradiol had the same effect on hand preference in females. This would be the cause of stronger right-hand preference in females than males and vice versa.
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Atatürk University, Medical Faculty, Department of Physiology, Erzurum, Turkey.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol