title: Left-handedness in a sample of nine patients with borderline personality disorder.
abstract: Recent literature reports the possibility of right hemisphere dysfunction in patients with behavioural disorders. 9 subjects diagnosed as Borderline were studied via parent questionnaire. 5 of 9 patients were reported to use the left hand, more than is reported on the average in the general population, and more often in complex than simple and for external (touching food and objects) than for internal tasks (scratching, rubbing eyes), which suggests a deficit in cerebral control of external, goal-oriented hand use. Our results for a small group are consistent with the former hypothesis of a possible right hemisphere dysfunction in patients with Borderline disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, General Hospital of Bolzano, Italy. helmutniederhofer@yahoo.de
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niederhofer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires