Laterality and mental disorders in the postgenomic age – A closer look at schizophrenia and language lateralization. (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ocklenburg, Sebastian; Güntürkün, Onur; Hugdahl, Kenneth; Hirnstein, Marco
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. Volume 59(2015:Dec.)
• Page Start: 100
• Page End: 110
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: Schizophrenia -- Language lateralization -- Dichotic listening -- Genetics -- Auditory hallucinations; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Human behavior -- Periodicals; Animal behavior -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Behavior -- Periodicals; Ethology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychophysiologie -- Périodiques; Comportement humain -- Périodiques; Animaux -- Mœurs et comportement -- Périodiques; Neurologie -- Périodiques; Animal behavior; Human behavior; Neurology; Psychophysiology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 573.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.08.019
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-7634

Abstract

Highlights: We review recent findings on the genetics of schizophrenia and laterality. We critically evaluate theories on the relation of schizophrenia and laterality. We suggest a symptom-based approach for relating schizophrenia to laterality. Abstract: Most people are right-handed and show left-hemispheric language lateralization, but a minority exhibits left-handedness and right-hemispheric language lateralization. This atypical laterality pattern is observed significantly more often in schizophrenia patients than in the general population, which led several authors to conclude that there is a genetic link between laterality and schizophrenia. It has even been suggested that a failure in the lateralization process, orchestrated by genes, could be the primary cause of schizophrenia. However, the molecular genetic evidence for a link between laterality and schizophrenia is weak. Recent genetic evidence indicates that schizophrenia is not a single disorder but a group of heritable disorders caused by different genotypic networks leading to distinct clinical symptoms. To uncover the link between schizophrenia and laterality we therefore suggest a paradigm shift where genetics are not mapped on schizophrenia as a whole but on discrete schizophrenia symptoms. In addition, we provide a critical evaluation of current theories on the genetic link between schizophrenia and brain asymmetry.