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PTSD and Lateral Preference: Overview of the Relationship Between Distress Symptoms and Handedness

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Comprehensive Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

The relationship between cerebral lateralization, reflected in lateral preference, and different psychiatric conditions has been indicated by various studies in the past. In regard to stress-related disorders, it was found that patients with PTSD exhibit lower degrees of lateral preference, as reflected by handedness, relative to healthy controls. Consistent associations between lateral preference and PTSD symptoms, found among combat veterans, indicates a reverse relationship between individual degrees of handedness and the severity of symptoms. This intriguing pattern in the relationships between PTSD and lateral preference is viewed through two major perspectives. One perspective suggests that mixed-lateral preference occurs before the traumatic exposure and therefore might represent vulnerability for PTSD. The second perspective implies that exposure to traumatic events and re-experiencing of traumatic memories might have an effect on cerebral lateralization and its reflection in handedness. This chapter reviews the current corpus of knowledge regarding the association between PTSD and lateral preference through the presentation of these perspectives and the introduction of an alternative complementary model.

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Abbreviations

CAPS-CA:

Clinician-administered PTSD scale for children and adolescents

CES:

Combat exposure scale

CI:

Coren Inventory

CR-PTSD:

Combat-related PTSD

DSM:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

EHI:

Edinburgh Handedness Inventory

EMDR:

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

IDF:

Israeli Defense Force

IES:

Impact of Events Scale

PTSD:

Posttraumatic stress disorder

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for the Study of Affective Neuroscience, Haifa University, Haifa, 31905, Israel

    Gilad Ritov

  2. Department of Human Service, Max Stern Academic College of Emek, Yezreel, Yezreel Valley, Israel

    Zion Barnetz

Authors
  1. Gilad Ritov
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  2. Zion Barnetz
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Correspondence to Gilad Ritov .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Buckinghamshire New University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, United Kingdom

    Colin R. Martin

  2. Kings College, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Ritov, G., Barnetz, Z. (2015). PTSD and Lateral Preference: Overview of the Relationship Between Distress Symptoms and Handedness. In: Martin, C., Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) Comprehensive Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08613-2_24-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08613-2_24-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-08613-2

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