BIPOLAR MANIC-DEPRESSIVES AND UNIPOLAR DEPRESSIVES DISTINGUISHED BY TESTS OF LATERAL ASYMMETRY

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 11  (3) , 313-323
Abstract
Tests of lateral asymmetry in hand preference and superiority in thumb opposition rotation (opposing the thumb''s pulp surface to that of the little finger) were applied to bipolar and unipolar affective patients in an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of these tests in differentiating the bipolar and unipolar patent populations. Two comparison samples were also tested: nonpsychotic CNS disease patients and normal controls. The normals divided almost evenly into pure dominance (e.g., right-handed and superior right thumb opposition) and cross-dominance (e.g., right-handed, but superior left thumb opposition). All but 1 of the CNS disease patients were cross-dominant; the bipolars were predominantly pure dominant, while the unipolars, in contrast to the pure dominant bipolars, were in the majority cross-dominant. There were apparently 2 types of affective disorder, bipolar manic-depressive and unipolar depressive illness.