Testosterone and hand skill in right-handed men and women

The relationship between serum testosterone level and hand skill was studied in right-handed young adults. Hand preferences was assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. Hand skill was assessed by the peg moving task. Serum testosterone level was determined using tritium-marked-radioimmunoassay. In the total sample, only the right-hand skill showed a direct correlation and an inverse correlation with serum testosterone for men and women, respectively. In male subjects with right-eye preference, both hand skills exhibited a direct relation to serum testosterone. In the total sample, there was a direct and an inverse relationship between the difference in skill between hands and serum testosterone in men and women, respectively. This was, however, affected by right-eye and right-foot preference. It was concluded that the serum testosterone in young adults is associated with hand skill exhibiting fundamental differences between men and women; the left cerebral hemisphere seems to be the main target of testosterone.