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Gene expression is a dynamic process that is significantly influenced by environmental factors. This interaction underlies the complex nature of biological development and the phenotypic differences observed among individuals, even among those with identical genetic makeups. Factors such as radiation, temperature, behavior, nutrition, and stress play pivotal roles in determining how genes are expressed. The concept of the reaction range is central to understanding this interaction. It posits...
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Investigating the Relationship Between Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Offspring Handedness: Extending the

Daisy C P Crick1, Sarah E Medland2, George Davey Smith3,4

  • 1Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia. d.crick@uq.edu.au.

Behavior Genetics
|July 16, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy may increase right-handedness probability, but gene-environment analyses show no strong causal link. Other factors like birth year and breastfeeding significantly influence offspring hand preference.

Keywords:
Gene-by-environmentLateralityMendelian randomizationPRSSmokingUK Biobank

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Area of Science:

  • Human Genetics
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Hand preference emerges early, but heritability explains little variance.
  • Genetic and environmental factors influencing handedness are not fully understood.
  • Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a potential environmental factor affecting offspring development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring hand preference.
  • To determine if maternal smoking during pregnancy causally affects offspring handedness using a gene-by-environment Mendelian randomization approach.
  • To identify other significant factors influencing hand preference variation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized UK Biobank data and multivariable logistic regression.
  • Employed a gene-by-environment (GxE) Mendelian randomization design.
  • Used CHRNA5 rs16969968 and a smoking polygenic risk score to proxy maternal smoking behavior.

Main Results:

  • Traditional epidemiological methods indicated maternal smoking increased the probability of right-handedness.
  • Gene-by-environment Mendelian randomization analyses revealed no strong causal effect of maternal smoking on offspring hand preference.
  • Birth year, birth weight, multiple birth status, and breastfeeding were significant factors influencing hand preference.

Conclusions:

  • While maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with increased right-handedness, a causal link is not supported by GxE MR analyses.
  • The primary drivers of variation in hand preference remain largely unresolved.
  • Factors beyond genetics and maternal smoking significantly impact offspring handedness.