Language Lateralization and Psychosis

Illustrates important fundamental aspects of cerebral lateralization, explaining how decreased language lateralization can facilitate psychotic symptoms in the human brain.

Iris E. C. Sommer (Edited by), René S. Kahn (Edited by)

9780521882842, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 April 2009

216 pages, 15 b/w illus. 10 colour illus. 10 tables
25.3 x 19.3 x 1.4 cm, 0.64 kg

'… intriguing and interesting … a welcome addition to the field. … a fascinating theory … an excellent and absorbing new book on the importance of cerebral laterality to psychotic disorders. Anyone wanting to understand more about how psychosis and the functional organization of the brain interact should read this valuable book.' Doody's Notes

In 1861 Paul Broca discovered that, in most individuals, the left hemisphere of the brain is dominant for language. Taking language as an example, the first part of this book explains the normal development of bodily asymmetry and lateralization, its association with hand preference, genetic aspects, geographical differences and the influence of gender. The coverage then moves on to review the association between language lateralization and psychosis, describing findings in patients with schizophrenia to suggest the dominant hemisphere may fail to completely inhibit the language areas in the non-dominant half. The language allowed to 'release' from the right hemisphere can lead to psychotic symptoms including auditory verbal hallucinations and formal thought disorder. This book should be read by psychiatrists, neurologists and neuroscientists working in the field of psychosis and other brain scientists interested in laterality.

List of contributors
Preface
Part I. Asymmetry, Handedness and Language Lateralization: 1. Molecular mechanisms establishing consistent left-right asymmetry during vertebrate embryogenesis Sherry Aw and Michael Levin
2. Cerebral lateralization in animal species Onur Güntürkün
3. The history and geography of human handedness I. C. McManus
4. The association between hand preference and language lateralization Bianca Stubbe-Dräger and Stefan Knecht
5. The genetic basis of lateralization Marian Annett
6. Language lateralization and handedness in twins
an argument against a genetic basis? Iris E. C. Sommer and René S. Kahn
7. Sex differences in handedness and language lateralization Iris E. C. Sommer and René S. Kahn
Part II. Language Lateralization and Psychosis: 8. Hand-preference and population schizotypy Metten Somers, Iris E. C. Sommer and René S. Kahn
9. Functional imaging studies on language lateralization in schizophrenia patients Annick Razafimandimby, Olivier Maïza and Sonia Dollfus
10. The role of the right hemisphere for language in schizophrenia Alexander Rapp
11. Auditory verbal hallucinations and language lateralization Kelly Diederen and Iris E. C. Sommer
12. Language lateralization in patients with Formal Thought Disorder Carin Whitney and Tilo Kircher
13. LRRTM1: a maternally suppressed genetic effect on handedness and schizophrenia Clyde Francks.

Subject Areas: Clinical psychology [MMJ], Psychiatry [MMH], Neurology & clinical neurophysiology [MJN]