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Vertebral artery dominance and hand preference: is there a correlation?
Barbara Cagnie1, Mirko Petrovic, Dirk Voet
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 6K3, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. barbara.cagnie@ugent.be
Manual Therapy
|December 29, 2005
Summary
Vertebral artery asymmetry, with the left typically larger, was studied for brain vascular needs. Researchers found no link between vertebral artery size dominance and hand dominance, disproving a common hypothesis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroanatomy
- Vascular Biology
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Vertebral arteries, crucial for brain blood supply, often exhibit size asymmetry, with the left commonly larger than the right.
- The underlying reasons for this common anatomical variation remain unclear.
- A prevailing hypothesis suggests this asymmetry relates to the brain's specific vascular demands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential correlation between vertebral artery dominance and cerebral vascular requirements.
- Specifically, to test the hypothesis that a dominant left vertebral artery is associated with right-handedness, and vice versa.
Main Methods:
- Comparative anatomical analysis of vertebral artery diameters.
- Assessment of hand dominance in study participants.
- Statistical correlation analysis between vertebral artery size asymmetry and hand preference.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant correlation was identified between the diameter differences of the vertebral arteries.
- Hand dominance (right-handedness or left-handedness) did not correlate with the dominance of either the left or right vertebral artery.
Conclusions:
- The hypothesis linking vertebral artery asymmetry to cerebral vascular requirements, specifically through hand dominance, is not supported by this study.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the etiological factors behind vertebral artery size asymmetry.
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