Hand dominance 'link to reading ability' found

A genetic variant has been discovered that appears to link handdominance and reading ability.

Children with a particular version of the gene, called PCSK6, have a right hand that is unusually dominant and are also poor at reading.

The finding provides the first genetic evidence supporting an association between handed dominance and dyslexia.

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Most people are right-handed. Since the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, this implies that the left brain chiefly governs motor functions.

A majority of individuals also have a left-hemisphere dominance for language function.

Because of these links, it has been suggested that the bias towards right-handedness arose as a result of the evolution of language. Great apes do not display the striking bias towards right handedness seen in humans.

With this in mind, scientists have searched for connections between hand preference and disorders that affect language development. However, until now, no convincing evidence has been found.

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The new study, published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, looked at the genetic codes of 192 children with reading difficulties.

A strong link was found between the PCSK6 gene variant and relative hand skill in the children. Those with the variant were on average more skilled with their right hand compared to the left than those without the mutation.

The same result was replicated in two separate groups of children with reading difficulties.