Salivary testosterone levels in left- and right-handed adults

It has been proposed that prenatal testosterone (T) may contribute to the development of hand preference and cerebral functional asymmetry in humans. To investigate any persisting association between T and asymmetry in adulthood, left-handed (LH) and right-handed (RH) men and women were administered a hand preference questionnaire and the Fused Dichotic Words Test. Testosterone was measured in samples of saliva. Results showed that LH subjects of both sexes had lower salivary T concentrations than their RH counterparts. Among LH males, subjects with a right-ear advantage in dichotic listening tended to have lower T concentrations than subjects with a left-ear advantage. These results are consistent with the notion that T may be involved in the development of hand preference and cerebral functional asymmetry.