Handedness and progressive hydrocephalus in spina bifida patients

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Spina bifida is a complex congenital condition affecting neural development.
• Hand preference and functional dominance are key indicators of brain lateralization.
• Hydrocephalus, often associated with spina bifida, can impact neurological development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate hand preference and functional hand-dominance in spina bifida patients.
• To explore the relationship between hand dominance and the presence/severity of hydrocephalus.
• To elucidate potential underlying neurological mechanisms affecting lateralization in this population.

Main Methods:

• Assessed hand preference and functional hand-dominance in 45 spina bifida patients (aged 13-25).
• Utilized self-reports on an ordinal scale and a tapping task for assessment.
• Compared hand dominance patterns between patients with and without progressive hydrocephalus.

Main Results:

• Non-right-handedness was more frequent in spina bifida patients with progressive hydrocephalus.
• Left-hand preference was significantly higher in the hydrocephalus group compared to those without shunts.
• Non-right-handedness correlated positively with the degree of pre-operative hydrocephalus progression.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest a developmental disorder of lateralization in spina bifida patients with progressive hydrocephalus.
• This disorder appears related to the severity of hydrocephalus during early development.
• Dysfunction of the corpus callosum, due to delayed white matter development, is a potential cause.