title: Incidence of atypical handedness in epilepsy and its association with clinical factors.
abstract: The incidence of atypical handedness (left-handedness and ambidexterity) in patients with epilepsy, particularly its association with major clinical factors, is not well established. We evaluated a full range of clinical variables in 478 patients with epilepsy from the United States and Korea. With the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, handedness was established as both a categorical variable (right-handed, left-handed, ambidextrous) and a continuous variable. Seizures were classified as complex or simple partial, primary generalized, or generalized tonic-clonic. The relationship between handedness and a range of clinical findings was explored. The overall incidence of atypical handedness in our patients was higher than in the general population (13.6%) and significantly higher in the U.S. patient group (17.6%) than in the Korean patients (8.8%). Handedness was not associated with sex; age; seizure type; age at onset; type, side, or site of EEG or brain imaging abnormalities; family history of seizures; refractory epilepsy; or history of epilepsy surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Slezicki
authors.forename: Yong Won
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Sang Doe
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Brock
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: McVearry
authors.forename: Rochelle E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Tractenberg
authors.forename: Gholam K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Motamedi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult